Fates Party
by ChaosFlash912
Summary: Inspired by P.T. Piranha's Bowser Party 1. In order to settle their rivalry, 18 characters from Fates - 9 Hoshido, 9 Nohr - are invited to a contest between two kingdoms. When they arrive, they soon learn the nature of the contest; a battle for the title of Superstar, and 1 million gold! Who will surpass the other 17 to claim the title? Rated T for safety.
1. The All Important Intro

(Alright, so this is a side project inspired by P. T. Piranha's story Bowser Party 1. Go check it out because it is amazing.

Oh by the way, this is A.U. to my stories (AKA Winds). Hence why it's a side-project, but I still have all my powers for the most part. Anyway, let's do this.

Note for Fanfiction: Holy cow it's been a LONG time since I posted anything here, I know. For those of you have read this on my DA, do not spoil it for those who haven't. And vice versa. I might update the newest episode here first since formatting on DA takes so long XP)

Hoshido. Nohr.

Two countries that border one another, one with bountiful resources, and one that has law and order as a mere 'suggestion' to some. Nohr had their king, Garon, want to invade Hoshido for no other reason than it was in their blood to conquer, and Hoshido wanted to stay out of war and keep to themselves like the Brotherhood of Steel.

However, things got worked out in the end thanks to one young man known as Corrin who managed to end the senseless violence between the two nations. However...there was still a little bit of animosity.

For one, Xander, the now king of Nohr, and Ryoma, the now king of Hoshido, still argued with one another like an old married couple, among other things. While they had settled the mess with the war earlier, their rivalry was lively as ever.

One day, a humble trader with an unknown identity proposed a solution for them to settle their rivalry once and for all. A contest between both kingdoms. All four members of each kingdom's royal families, each having one of their retainers, and one willing volunteer from each nation. Both men agreed to the contest, having no clue what awaited them come the big day…

Out in an open field, the eighteen contestants trudged towards a building marked with a great yellow flag close to the Dragon's Gate, which they were told was the meeting place for the contest to begin. Each liege was walking with their retainer, and the two neutrals were walking together.

 **Pair 1 - Ryoma and Kagero**

"I have full confidence you can win this, my lord," Kagero said. "If you need me to do anything for you, I will do it."

"Thank you, Kagero," Ryoma replied. "But I don't think it'll be needed."

" _I will not take this contest too personally. It is nothing more than a test of skills and wits against my equal. Nothing more, nothing less. But I will not go easy on him!" -Ryoma_

 **Pair 2 - Takumi and Oboro**

Takumi groaned. "Why did I agree to do this again?"

"Because, Lord Takumi, you want to beat the Nohrians right?" Oboro asked, excited at the prospect.

"Yeah, sure." Takumi shrugged her off. "This'll be good."

" _When I heard about this contest through Lord Takumi, I knew that I had to sign up for this. Beating the Nohrians would be so awesome, and we'd all be so fashionable while doing it! I'm pumped!" -Oboro_

 **Pair 3 - Hinoka and Azama**

"So what was the purpose of doing this again?" Azama wondered. "There's no real purpose for this other than ego stroking."

"Azama, you're not really helping…" Hinoka frowned. She muttered something under her breath.

" _I wanted to bring Setsuna along, but I couldn't find her...probably fell into another pit trap again. I got Reina looking for her before I left, so that's one less thing I got to worry about. I know the Nohrians can be mean, but I promise you I'll be meaner!" -Hinoka_

 **Pair 4 - Sakura and Subaki**

Sakura looked around anxiously as Subaki flew her towards the base. "U-Um...Subaki? You think we'll win, right?"

"Of course we will," Subaki smiled in a reassuring way. "I have nothing but high hopes for the both of us, Lady Sakura."

Sakura smiled, her tensions being relieved.

" _I was overjoyed when Lady Sakura asked me to come along to this contest with her. As such, I will do my utmost best to make sure we win. A man such as perfect as myself would want no less, right?" -Subaki_

 **Pair 5 - Rinkah and Keaton**

"So you're one of the Wolfskin…" Rinkah mused. "You seem strong."

"Yeah, and your muscles look natural," Keaton noted, tail wagging. "Oh and by the way, my tail is NOT wagging because I'm excited for this, okay?"

"Didn't even notice that, but whatever you say." Rinkah shrugged. "I'm here representing the Fire Tribe."

" _I'm the daughter of the Fire Tribe's chieftain. As such, I'm out here representing the whole group here. With my strength I will burn the competition to nothing but cinders!" -Rinkah_

" _Look, I'm not all that interested in the Hoshido vs. Nohr bloodbath that's inevitably going to happen. All I want to do is have some fun out here. For now I'm going to sit back and let the others claw each other apart, and enjoy this as much as I can." -Keaton_

 **Pair 6 - Xander and Peri**

"Aww, Lord Xander!" Peri whined. "I wanted to stab people! You told me I'd get to stab things!"

"I did, and that was to make sure you would come along with me," Xander reminded. "But you are going to be fine without any weapons, right?"

"Yup!" Peri perked up and giggled. "Lance or no lance I can still put up a good fight!"

" _Hehehehe...ooh, the Hoshidans are in for a surprise! Lord Xander has made it very clear that I'm not allowed to kill anyone during this, which is exactly what they think of us Nohrians. I'm going to wow them all with my skills in this bloodbath!" -Peri_

 **Pair 7 - Leo and Niles**

Leo rode alongside Niles, who had a grin on his face.

"This is going to be fun, Lord Leo," Niles spoke.

"I hope you realize this isn't a vacation," Leo reminded. "We're representing Nohr, so we have to be at our best."

"Of course I know that," Niles responded. "I'll have fun messing with our opponents, after all."

" _Niles has a unique way of making friends, to say the least. I on the other hand am going to do the best I can for my kingdom. Being the main strategist of my royal family, I will have the edge on the others. Victory is all but impossible for me." -Leo_

 **Pair 8 - Camilla and Beruka**

Camilla and Beruka were flying on their wyverns to the meeting place.

"Oh, Beruka darling, this is going to be such a wonderful experience, won't it?" Camilla mused.

"Certainly, Lady Camilla," Beruka stoically responded. "We should be able to win without much trouble."

Camilla smiled, petting Beruka on the head. Her retainer didn't have much of a reaction, if any at all.

" _My darling retainers are so strong and cute, it was super hard to pick just one to bring with me. I promised Selena I would win for her so we could shop till we drop, and I don't want to disappoint her. Selena, I'll put on a show for you and my sweet Corrin!" -Camilla_

 **Pair 9 - Elise and Effie**

With the last pair, Effie was giving her liege a piggyback ride to the meeting place. She was munching on a handful of berries along the way.

"Isn't this gonna be fun, Effie?" Elise giggled. "We're gonna go on an adventure!"

"Yea, we shure will," Effie responded, mouth half-full of food.

Elise pumped a fist in the air. "Yay!"

" _I'd do anything for Lady Elise. When she mentioned this contest, I told her I'd do it. Don't know what I'm gonna do, but my strength should be enough to do whatever it is. I'm hungry for victory!" -Effie_

Everyone soon arrived inside the meeting place, the humble merchant from earlier leaning up against one of the walls. The players were all wary of who this guy was, who had his black cloak's hood up, the shadows covering his face.

"Welcome everyone…" He said, pushing the cloak off his head. He had short, mostly neat brown hair, scraggly facial hair, and glasses on his face. Pushing them up the bridge of his nose, he had a big smile. "Welcome to the show!"

"Who are you?" Kagero wanted to get down to brass tacks.

"Me? My friends call me Flash," The 'merchant' introduced himself. "And I would like to say that we've got a pretty good group here. A pretty good party group." He chuckled.

" _When we first met the man hosting this contest, none of us had any idea what he was planning. It could have been a trap for all I know; I knew I should've brought my shurikens…" -Kagero_

"So, what're we doing?" Camilla spoke up. "Xander mentioned a contest."

"Yes, Lady Camilla, there is a contest. But I haven't said what kind," Flash answered. "And that contest...is the craziest, most unpredictable, and somewhat cutthroat party of all time!"

"Party?" Azama mused. "I don't see any decorations."

"That's because we didn't need any," Flash explained. "See, what we're going to be doing is travelling to various worlds via the Dragon's Gate, and you'll all compete in challenges to become the last one standing, who will be dubbed the Superstar!"

"Superstar?" Effie munched on more berries. "I heard there'd be a prize,"

"How does one million gold sound?" Flash grinned. Everyone in the room got excited...well, some more than others.

" _None of us had any idea what was going on, and then this Flash guy mentioned a million gold...well, not that it matters much to me. Money or no money, I'm still going to be putting my best foot forward!" -Takumi_

"Are you guys ready to get this Mario Party started?" Flash grinned.

"Um...question," Sakura raised her hand. "W-What's a 'Mario Party?'"

"You'll find out," Flash responded, the Dragon's Gate roaring to life. "Follow me, everyone!"

As everyone went through the portal, Leo whispered to Xander, "Brother...just what did you get us into?"

"Relax, Leo," Xander reassured. "We'll be just fine."

" _As Flash explained everything to us, I was thinking to myself 'Gods, what did I sign up for?' Regardless of our situation I have to hold my head high. All of Nohr rests upon my shoulders. I cannot fail her." -Xander_

(And that's the intro! Any first impressions? Thoughts? Concerns? Predictions on how many boards it'll take for Peri to want to stab something? Please leave feedback and stay tuned!)


	2. Episode 1: Who Ya Gonna Call?

(Okay, so schoolwork and Fire Emblem Echoes has distracted me for long enough, let's get to partying!

As always, those who have read this first on DA, do not spoil for the others who didn't know I had a DA.)

 **Episode 1: Who Ya Gonna Call?**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _The royal families from Hoshido and Nohr agreed to participate in a contest to settle their differences. A pair of neutrals, one from each kingdom, also signed up for the contest bringing the total number of players to eighteen._

 _When they arrived at the meeting place, they met their host Flash. Flash said they were in for the most wild and cutthroat party ever, and the last person standing at the end would not only win bragging rights, but a hefty purse of one million gold coins._

 _All ready to go - with some being hesitant - both groups of nine followed Flash through the Dragon's Gate to their first challenge. What will happen? Will anyone get murdered right off the bat? Stay tuned and find out!_

 **Hoshidans: Ryoma, Kagero, Takumi, Oboro, Hinoka, Azama, Sakura, Subaki, Rinkah**

 **Nohrians: Xander, Peri, Leo, Niles, Camilla, Beruka, Elise, Effie, Keaton**

* * *

The eighteen players exited the other side of the Dragon's Gate to find themselves at the foot of a gloomy manor. Flash was waiting there for them.

" _When we exited the Dragon's Gate, our destination turned out to be this dour looking manor. I remember going to such a place before. I think I heard Prince Takumi screaming like a little girl during that night." -Beruka_

"Welcome one and all to your first challenge!" Flash announced. "One mischievous monarch, two terrifying pitfalls, and a billion ways to go mad. You'll find it all behind the door I'm standing in front of. Welcome, to King Boo's Haunted Hideaway!" Of course, he was reading from flash cards when he said this.

"So what's the challenge?" Hinoka asked. "I'm ready to do this!"

"So am I!" Effie fist-pumped.

"Woah woah woah, calm down Kirby. I wasn't done yet," Flash said. "First of all...I want a show of hands. How many of you think that it'll be Hoshido vs Nohr for the teams?"

Everyone except Leo and Subaki raised their hands.

"Leo. You and Subaki were the only two not to think it was going to be Hoshido vs Nohr. Why?" Flash asked.

"To have it be a team full of Hoshidans against a team full of Nohrians seems way too predictable," Leo reasoned. "Therefore, I have a gut feeling there's going to be a twist right out of the gate, if not later."

"Subaki, what about you?" Flash turned his attention over to the sky knight.

"I agree with what Prince Leo just said," Subaki answered. "It's a bit too perfect for my tastes…"

"Well, you two are absolutely right. Everyone else is completely wrong," Flash informed. Everyone who didn't raise their hands were incredibly shocked.

" _This...this works out in my favor greatly! I thought I'd be the first one of the Hoshidans out because I was the odd woman out, but with this twist I might be able to power on through!" -Rinkah_

"Now, for the challenge," Flash began explaining. "Your goal is to find this guy known as King Boo. White round blob ghost with a crown on his head? You'll know him when you see him. The first six people to find him will form a team. The next six to find him will form a team, and whichever six still hasn't found him will be the third and final team. Sound easy enough?"

"It sure does," Keaton nodded.

" _Now I might not be a genius like some other people here, but it's a no-brainer that the royal families are going to work together. Me? I'm not going to tie myself down with a certain group. I'm going to try and see if I can sneak around this handicap the best I can." -Keaton_

"There is one thing I should mention," Flash added. "Not even I know what the layout of the manor is like. It's completely random, and...watch out for pitfalls. Happy hunting, contestants!" And with that, the entrance to the manor opened. Everyone exchanged looks with one another, rushing in after waiting for a few seconds.

* * *

"Stay close to me, Lady Sakura," Subaki ordered. "We'll get through this together."

" _I-I noticed that the other retainers...they went with their lieges. I um, trust Subaki will m-make sure we get there first." -Sakura_

Of course, the retainers were staying close to their lieges, wanting to be on the same teams as them. Rinkah approached Keaton.

"Hey, Keaton," Rinkah said. "You think the royals and retainers are going to work together?"

"Absolutely," Keaton responded. "I mean, you don't have to be a scholar or anything to see that." Suddenly, Keaton was jumped on by Elise.

"KEATON! Let's play!" Elise giggled with delight. The wolfskin yelped in shock as Rinkah facepalmed. "Yay yay yay! So FLUFFY! Who's a good fluffy? Huh? Who's a goob floofffyyy?"

"H-Hey! Get off of me!" Keaton demanded. It was at this time Leo and Camilla walked on by. Strangely, Niles and Beruka were nowhere to be found. Leo shook his head.

"Still childish as always, aren't you Elise?" He wondered. The younger Nohrian ignored him, petting Keaton as Camilla and Rinkah pried the blueblood off of him.

" _Elise is such a sweet girl; she's like the light in Nohr that we all fight to protect. Her iron grip is something that always baffles me. When I tried to get her off Keaton, I needed Rinkah's help to do it." -Camilla_

"Hey...Lady Camilla?" Keaton spoke up.

"Yes?" Camilla responded.

"Could you kindly tell your sister...that I'm NOT A DOG!?" Was the wolfskin's request.

"Aww, I'm sorry, Keaton! It's just that whenever I look at you, I think of Joseph." Elise apologized.

"Who the heck is Jospeh?" Keaton raised an eyebrow.

"He's this popular puppy that lives in Windmire. Whenever we're in town Elise makes it a mission to play with him," Leo explained. "I'm positive Elise meant no offense, Keaton."

"Why would I take offense? Didn't I just tell you I'm a wolf?!" Keaton glared. Leo and Elise exchanged glances, to which they both nodded. Elise soon had a ball of fur in her hand.

"Joseph loves playing with furballs! You love furballs, too, don't you, Keaton? Here, have this one!" Elise exclaimed, throwing said furball very far down the corridor. Keaton's eyes went wide as he suddenly found himself struggling to compose himself.

"Oh, no...not a furball...Can't...control…" Keaton soon found himself rushing in the direction of the furball.

"Alright, that should buy us enough time," Camilla mused. "So what is it, dear brother?"

"Listen, I want us to make a promise right here, right now," Leo spoke. "You two, me, and Xander, final four. I'll guide us to a Nohrian victory."

" _Forming an alliance with my siblings should not be that difficult of a task. What binds us is thicker than blood. That being said, I will have to be wary of my sisters. Elise dotes on Camilla, so I might need to keep her on a short leash." -Leo_

"Oh, I would love that," Camilla responded. "I'm in."

"I'm in too!" Elise giggled. "I'll go tell Xander about this right away!" And with that, she was off.

"...Wonder where Effie went," Leo plainly said.

* * *

Meanwhile, we would find Effie and Beruka searching around for where King Boo was. Well, it was more or less Beruka doing most of the work. Effie on the other hand was collecting candies.

" _Lady Camilla asked me to scout ahead and try to find King Boo as soon as possible. The goal is to be on the same team as my liege, that way we can protect each other however we can." -Beruka_

Beruka silently looked at Effie as she did this.

"What?" Effie wondered, deciding to taste one of the candies for herself. Effie soon turned into an 8-bit version of herself, causing Beruka to shake her head.

"Effie," Beruka calmly spoke. "We are here to scout out King Boo's location for our lieges. Not gorge ourselves on candy scattered about the place."

 _*still in her 8-bit form* "So what if I'm eating this stuff? I have to keep up my energy for Lady Elise one way or another. My training is so intense I've gotta replace the calories somehow. It's not protein but...eh, it'll do for now." -Effie_

Beruka spied a staircase out of the corner of her eye, seemingly leading to the second floor of the mansion. "Follow me," She ordered, going up the staircase. Effie followed her, hitting random blocks that popped up over her head, giving her coins.

The duo followed the path, grabbing more coins along the way. They soon stumbled across a warp pipe, causing Beruka to stop. It could've been a trap. Effie reverted to her normal self once they did.

"Hold on, this might be a trap," Beruka said.

"I'll go first then!" Effie exclaimed, jumping in the pipe.

"Effie, wait-" Beruka started, but realized it was too late to stop her. Sighing, she followed after her. They would find…

King Boo! He was in a room where a single carpeted and raised platform was, Flash waiting there with him.

"Hee hee hee! You two found me!" King Boo exclaimed.

"Effie, Beruka, you will be the first two members of Team Garu," Flash explained. "But for now, wait here until the others show up. Additionally...your team will receive an advantage in the next challenge."

"What's the advantage?" Effie wondered.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Flash grinned.

* * *

Back in the mansion, everyone else was stumbling around in the many corridors. Niles soon stopped in front of a mirror. It showed his reflection as a Boo appeared next to him.

"Mirror mirror, on the wall, who is the unfairest of them all?" It giggled. "No answer?"

" _This could be quite the advantage for me in this challenge. I'm more than willing to do whatever in order to enjoy myself. I doubt I'll win, but I can at least try to make it hard for everyone else." -Niles_

"What do I do?" Niles asked.

"Well, just think of someone, and this mirror will warp them right here," The Boo explained. "Normally we do that by dartboard...but the fourth wall is not ours to break."

"I see. I know the perfect person." Niles grinned. "Quick, hide." The Boo did just that as Niles began thinking about Takumi…

Lo and behold, Takumi soon appeared on the other side of the mirror, and came right out of it, landing face first to the right of Niles.

"Niles, what the heck!?" Takumi exclaimed. Suddenly, the Boo appeared in front of Takumi, causing him to freeze. "...GAAAAAHHHHH!" Takumi darted the other direction like a bat out of Hell, causing Niles to crack up laughing.

"Ah, that was a good one," He complimented the Boo, who promptly vanished after sticking its tongue out.

* * *

Hinoka scouted around for Azama, grumbling under her breath. "Azama, where are you…?" She called.

" _I turn my back for only a moment and I can't seem to find Azama anywhere. It's likely he's messing with me again, but I need to keep my eyes on the prize." -Hinoka_

Suddenly, Hinoka spotted a candy wrapper on the same stairwell that Beruka and Effie went up earlier. She soon connected the dots and realized that someone went up here earlier.

"There's only one person I know who would be so sloppy…" Hinoka thought aloud.

The elder Hoshidan princess followed the path that the second floor provided, stumbling upon the same warp pipe. With a deep breath, she jumped in and landed in the room King Boo and Flash were in.

"Hee hee hee! You found me!" King Boo exclaimed.

"Booyah!" Hinoka fist-pumped.

"Hinoka, you are member number three of Team Garu. You and your team will receive an advantage in tomorrow's challenge. For now, just stay put and wait for the others." Flash told her.

"Understood." Hinoka nodded, going to the other two present. Effie offered her a red candy.

"Want one?" She offered.

"I'll pass," Hinoka politely declined. "Thanks for leading me here by the way."

"What do you mean?" Beruka raised an eyebrow.

"Saw a candy wrapper on that stairwell that led me here. I figured someone already found out how to get here, so I followed the trail," Hinoka explained.

"...I see." Beruka calmly responded.

* * *

Elsewhere, Takumi had ran quite the distance away from the Boo, stopping to catch his breath. "Curse you...Niles…" He panted.

" _I was with Oboro not too long ago, and then suddenly I find myself next to Niles, and this thing popped up in front of me!...Gods, it's just like that haunted mansion all over again, but no Faceless!" -Takumi_

He soon heard a strange noise. Startled at first, Takumi regained his composure to find the source of the noise was Keaton playing with the furball.

"Oh...it's just you," Takumi said, sighing with relief.

"Takumi? What's up with you? You look like you just stumbled into the girls bathing in the hot spring," Keaton wondered. "Except you look white as a sheet rather than pink like a peach."

"Shut up!" Takumi hissed. "It's just...Niles brought me here." He told Keaton what happened.

"Yowch...well, I had Elise jump on me and treat me like I was a dog, which I am NOT! I'm a wolfskin!" Keaton responded.

"Then why are you playing with that furball?" Takumi pointed out. The wolfskin hid the furball behind his back, pretending it wasn't there.

"What? What are you talking about? What furball?" Keaton nervously chuckled. The Hoshidan blueblood looked at him, shaking his head.

" _Stupid Elise...she's making me look like a fool in front of the others. I hope I don't wind up on the same team as her. Otherwise I'm going to be in for a long and brutal game. First chance I get, I'm getting rid of her." -Keaton_

"Look, would you mind...coming with me? You seem trustworthy enough." Takumi requested.

"Sure thing, whatever." Keaton shrugged his shoulders, the two then going off. The duo soon bumped into Rinkah.

"There you are, Keaton!" Rinkah exclaimed. "I was wondering where you went."

"I got lost!" Keaton lied. Takumi gave a glance Rinkah's way to inform her that was not the case, causing Rinkah to huff. The three then proceeded onwards, Rinkah taking point.

* * *

"Lord Takumi!" Oboro called. "Where are you!?" She was frantically searching for Takumi ever since Niles had them separated. She opened various doors looking for where he could have gone. She soon opened a door, leading to a large and dark room. "Are you in here!?"

Suddenly, small red Boos began appearing around the spear fighter, startling her. Before she knew what was happening, they all grabbed hold of her.

"Hey! Put me down!" Oboro screamed, trying to get free. However, her struggling was all for naught as the red Boos tossed her in a pit, which led her back to the front doors of the manner. She looked down at her now dirty outfit, looking dejected.

" _Today just isn't my day...first Lord Takumi goes missing, and now my clothes are all dirty...stupid ghosts. One look at my face when I go back in there, and I swear to Hotoke they will be running from me!" -Oboro_

When Oboro reentered the house, a Piranha Plant in the first corridor tried to attack her, but she began fighting with it, looking really angry.

* * *

Back with Sakura and Subaki, they spotted a shadow against the walls silently dart towards a door. They followed, only to be stopped by a Whomp.

"Whomp no like you!" It said. "Gimme 10 coins and I'll let you pass."

"Um...do we have 10 coins, Subaki?" Sakura meekly asked.

"Of course we do, Lady Sakura," Subaki confidently responded, searching around his belongings for his coin purse. "Where'd I put it?" He wondered in a panicked tone.

"L-Let me get it…" Sakura said, grabbing their coin purses and counting out the coins needed. "Subaki, you um...you gave me yours for safekeeping, remember?"

"I did?" Subaki blinked, then realized something. "Oh right...that's because I am perfectly able to trust you with our funds."

" _S-Subaki, from what Hana told me...his parents put so many high standards on him. I only...w-want him to do his best for the both of us…" -Sakura_

The Whomp took the ten gold and let the two pass on through. When they followed the path the shadow took, they would find that the shadow in question was…

Kagero! She had beaten them to King Boo and Flash, but they were just in time.

"Hee hee hee! You all found me!" King Boo informed.

"Kagero, Subaki, Sakura, you three are the last ones to be on Team Garu. You and your team will receive an advantage in tomorrow's challenge. For now, just stay put and wait for the others." Flash told them.

"T-Thank you…" Sakura smiled.

"Ha ha! A perfect start for us all!" Subaki went to high-five his teammates.

" _It's a shame I am not on the same team as my lord, but I have to look on the bright side. I am on a team with four Hoshidans, and two Nohrians. If everything plays out the way I hope it does, I can hide in the shadows for two votes. That should buy me enough time." -Kagero_

* * *

Returning to Leo and Camilla, they soon bumped into Azama who was standing in front of a treasure chest.

"Oh, good day," Azama greeted with a smile. "Have you seen Lady Hinoka anywhere?"

"I thought you would be with her," Camilla responded.

"Well, I could say the same thing about your silent friend. Or is she waiting in the shadows, waiting to take my lunch money?" Azama returned.

"My darling Beruka would never!" The elder Nohrian princess exclaimed.

" _Sometimes the others make it too easy for me to mess with them. While I do believe this competition is nothing more than a mere amusement, it is more or less going to devolve into Hoshido vs Nohr all over again. Everyone can see it." -Azama_

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Leo wondered.

"I was just wondering if any of you knew what was inside this chest," Azama explained. "I would have let Lady Hinoka open it, but since she's not here now…"

"Allow me," Camilla offered. Reaching into her bosom, she got a lockpick out. "Beruka let me borrow this. She stole it off Niles."

"Why am I not surprised?" Leo snickered.

"So Beruka would steal from your brother's retainer, but not from me?" Azama smirked.

"I'll return it later," Camilla responded, cracking open the chest to reveal…

A group of red Boos who snatched the small black crown she had on her head! They quickly floated in the other direction.

"Hey!" Leo shouted.

"My crown!" Camilla exclaimed, chasing after the Boos. Leo and Azama decided to follow after her.

* * *

Meanwhile, with Xander and Peri, they were going along when they heard a familiar young voice.

"Big brother!" It was Elise, who was running to catch up with them. "Hey listen! I gotta tell you something!"

"Go ahead, Elise," Xander responded. Elise took a look at Peri, and whispered something to Xander.

" _Peri...to put it nicely, is a few sandwiches short of a picnic, if not missing the entire basket. She's going to be a big challenge as I'm relaying this over to Xander, but I have a feeling he can temporarily get rid of her." -Elise_

"Hmm? What is it, Lord Xander?" Peri asked all curious like.

"Peri, I think I saw an assassin following us. A few doors away from where we just were," Xander lied. "Could you go deal with it?" Peri gasped, going all wild eyed.

"You're giving me permission to put holes in someone? Okay~!" With that, Peri raced off, grabbing whatever she could use as a weapon along the way. Xander sighed with relief.

"Good, she's gone, but be quick Elise." He instructed. "It won't be long before she realizes there's no assassin."

"Okay, so Leo wants to make an alliance with us and Camilla for a Nohrian final 4," Elise explained. "They're already going to find King Boo, so if we hurry we can all be on the same team together!"

Xander chuckled. "I had a feeling Leo would suggest such a tact. Alright. I'll go along with it, but promise me you'll stay close."

" _If we were all on the same team together, we would have to win as many challenges as we could because should we lose the other two members, we'll eventually have to turn on each other. Camilla and Elise are thick as thieves, so it won't be easy to turn them against one another." -Xander_

Peri soon returned, pouting. "There was no assassin, Lord Xander…" She hung her head.

"I see. Thank you for checking anyway," Xander responded, knowing full well he needed to do what he did.

* * *

Back with Camilla, Leo, and Azama, the former of the three kicked in a large door that the Red Boos took her crown. Astonishingly, it was the same room that King Boo was in.

"Lady Hinoka!" Azama exclaimed. "Praise Hotoke you're still with us."

"Hee hee hee! You three found me!" King Boo reported.

"Camilla, Leo, Azama, you three are the first members of Team Bufu. Wait here for the others." Flash instructed.

Camilla snatched back her crown from the Red Boos, leaving all of them to flee from her instantly.

* * *

Elsewhere, Oboro ran into Ryoma. "Lord Ryoma!" Oboro exclaimed. "Have you seen Lord Takumi?"

"Not really? Where have you been?" Ryoma questioned.

"Um...I might have ran into a stone monster...and destroyed it in a fit of rage," Oboro sheepishly answered, scratching the back of her head.

" _Normally my rage is reserved for Nohrians ever since I lost my parents...but I didn't think I'd snap on this thing they call a Whomp…" -Oboro_

"Just stay with me," Ryoma requested. "We'll find my brother."

Returning to Rinkah, Takumi, and Keaton, the wolfskin paused after hearing Camilla kick open the door to King Boo's room.

"Did you guys hear that?" Keaton asked.

"Hear what?" Takumi wondered.

"Someone kicked open a door, down...that way!" Keaton dramatically pointed to the right. Nearby, Xander and his two companions heard Keaton shouting. Peri peeked out and saw the direction Keaton was pointed...which Rinkah spotted.

"Hey!" Rinkah exclaimed. As the other group started running, Rinkah darted ahead. "Come on you two! We have to beat them!"

It soon became a footrace between the two groups of three to get there first.

" _All of the sudden, I see Xander, Elise, and Peri racing in the direction Keaton was pointing. So we're all running to beat them there. It was really exciting. Got my blood pumping!" -Rinkah_

" _We wanted to beat the other three to King Boo so bad, so I ran the hardest I've ever ran in my life. I have to do my absolute best for Lord Xander, and I'm pretty sure I passed his expectations for this challenge with flying colors!" -Peri_

And the group that would reach King Boo first, in a super close footrace…

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

...Was Rinkah's group.

"Hee hee hee!" King Boo giggled. "You all found me!"

"Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton, you three are the last members of Team Bufu," Flash said. "Xander, Peri, Elise, you three are the first members of Team Agi." He turned to King Boo. "Can you get the other three?"

"Sure thing. Boos! Go get the others!" King Boo ordered. A swarm of regular white colored Boos and red Boos suddenly flew out en masse to round up Ryoma, Oboro, and Niles.

"We have our teams!" Flash exclaimed. "When I call your names, come up and stand on your respective team mats. First team, Team Garu. Effie, Beruka, Hinoka, Kagero, Sakura, and Subaki." All six stepped forward, standing on the green mat on the far left of the platform.

" _I was a bit disappointed when we didn't get first, but being on the first team is the best thing Lady Sakura and I could have accomplished. Victory is perfectly within grasp, and I'll pull all the weight I can to make sure we get it." -Subaki_

"Second team, Team Bufu. Camilla, Leo, Azama, Rinkah, Takumi, and Keaton." The six stepped forward, standing on the blue mat in the middle of the platform.

" _I'd say we've got a pretty good group. I'm with my sister, we have the two neutrals with us, Prince Takumi, and Princess Hinoka's retainer Azama. We'll be winning a lot of challenges with this team." -Leo_

"And finally, Team Agi. Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma, Oboro, and Niles." The six stepped forward, standing on the red mat on the far right of the platform.

" _Well...this was a thing. Xander and Ryoma are on the same team together, and I get stuck with Niles. He won't last long, and I'm pretty sure the others on my team would agree with me. How am I gonna sleep during this game, anyway?" -Elise_

"Alright King Boo, thanks for having us! We'll be off now!" Flash thanked. With that, the group walked with their teams on the way back to the base.

 **Team Garu: Effie, Beruka, Hinoka, Kagero, Sakura, Subaki**

 **Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Azama, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton**

 **Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma, Oboro, Niles**

(And...that's the premiere. Any thoughts, predictions, or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Next episode we'll be high-rolling and find out what Team Garu's advantage is! Stay tuned!)


	3. Episode 2: What Happens In Vegas

(Another day, another episode of Fates Party. To all of you who have read and gave your feedback, I wanna say thanks for that. Now I've got a bit of a thing to say: Azura WILL be playing a role in this story. What will her role be? We'll find out when we get there.

Additionally, there'll be a new mechanic that'll shake up this game! If anyone has read Bowser Party 1, you might have an idea for what it is.

Shout out to Cheerfulpichu/pichufan101 for helping me out on that last thing I talked about in the intro. Let's hit the road, Jack.)

 **Episode 2: What Happens In Vegas...**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _The eighteen contestants participated in their very first challenge at King Boo's Haunted Hideaway. The challenge? Find King Boo._

 _Along the way, some people felt like openly messing with the others, and alliances were already forming. The Nohrian royal family decided to band together in a final four pact, and Rinkah and Keaton opted to work together._

 _Beruka and Effie were the first two to discover a staircase that led to a warp pipe on the second floor, leading them straight to King Boo. Finding King Boo would determine who was on what team._

 _Once the teams were determined, Team Garu was informed that they would receive an advantage in the next challenge. What is this advantage? And now with the game officially beginning, who will be the first person kicked out of the party? Find out by watching!_

 **Team Garu: Effie, Beruka, Hinoka, Kagero, Sakura, Subaki**

 **Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Azama, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton**

 **Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma, Oboro, Niles**

* * *

Everyone returned to the fort as Flash began showing everyone around. "The rooms with the green walls belong to Team Garu, the rooms with blue walls belong to Team Bufu, and the rooms with red walls belong to Team Agi. Alright? Good, now get moved in. Rest up for tomorrow, since we'll have a busy day ahead of us." Flash instructed.

With that being said, everyone got to moving into their new digs.

As Team Garu was getting moved in, Effie approached Subaki inside his room.

"You pride yourself on being perfect, right?" She asked.

"Of course I do. I have to be for my liege," Subaki answered.

"Then how come you didn't finish first?" Effie countered.

"I...must admit to you, Effie, I…" Subaki started, but Effie cut him off.

"Eh, don't worry about it. You sound like Hana - she tried to be as strong as I am but failed to see where her strong suits were. Follow my advice: Just try to be good at what you're skilled at, not perfect at everything." Effie was munching on a piece of cooked meat as she said this.

" _I never thought Effie could say such meaningful things...I'm absolutely glad to have her on my team. Keeping Lady Sakura safe is something I'm good at, so I might as well focus on perfecting that!" -Subaki_

* * *

In Team Bufu's rooms, Rinkah and Keaton were lounging around.

"So...who do you think we should work with?" Keaton asked.

"I'm no strategist." Rinkah shrugged. "You can figure it out."

"Hmm...maybe Leo and Camilla?" Keaton suggested. "They're the other pair in this team. We could buy us some time if we don't win."

"Whatever works for me," Rinkah replied.

" _Yeah, I'm not the best strategist in the world. Never really wanted to dabble in tactics behind the scenes - I'm more of a fighter! Bring on the challenges; I'm ready." -Rinkah_

* * *

Meanwhile, in Team Agi's rooms, Elise got in bed and tried drifting off to sleep. However, that was hard to do when two voices could be loudly heard from the hallway.

"You!" Oboro exclaimed.

"Huh? What do you want?" Peri asked.

Elise tried the 'cover my ears with a pillow' trick to try and block out their conversation, but to no avail. It only got worse from there as Oboro brought up Peri's crazy behavior, and then Niles decided to join in on the conversation, only stoking the fires between them.

"Ugh...I'm never going to get any sleep during this…" Elise sighed.

" _Peri and Oboro get along together just as well as a cat gets along with a mouse. In fact, the team that I'm on is likely not going to get along. Ryoma and my older brother are going to be trying to show the other up, I already mentioned Peri and Oboro, and Niles is...don't get me started on Niles." -Elise_

* * *

The next morning, Flash gathered everyone up at the Dragon's Gate.

"So, everyone settled in good and proper?" Flash asked, to which mostly everyone responded positively, and those who didn't had mixed responses. "Awesome, well, the game officially begins now."

The group was curious at what this meant.

"' _The game officially begins now?' What's that even mean? I know we have an advantage today, but Flash hasn't mentioned all of the rules yet. It makes me worry for both myself and Lord Ryoma." -Kagero_

"Well, you see, I did mention that we would be competing in challenges so you could see who would be the last one standing…" Flash explained. "So...when it comes to these challenges, the team that does the worst will be tasked with voting out one of their own members."

To varying degrees, everyone was shocked while some had already accepted the fact they'd have to eliminate each other as a reality. Elise non-verbally exclaimed 'Thank you Dusk Dragon!' as Flash cleared his throat.

"Oh yeah, one more thing. Royals, make sure you keep good watch over your retainers, and vice versa for the retainers. If a royal/retainer pair makes it to the merge, they'll get a little advantage in the challenges." Flash added. "Anyway...we've got a challenge today, so follow me everyone!"

With that, the players followed Flash through the Dragon's Gate, wondering what fresh hell awaited them today.

When they arrived at their destination, they would find that they had arrived in a swanky looking casino, divided up into four quadrants. A Goomba in a pink bowtie, cape, and top hat was standing next to Flash.

"Welcome to Goomba's Greedy Gala!" The Goomba greeted. "This place is the tops!"

"Woah, this is like those casinos as Macarath that I've heard about!" Keaton mused.

"So, hey, I had all this space, and I made it into a casino! Pretty high-class, no?" The Goomba grinned. "Feel your heart pound and your nerves jitter as you lay it all on the line!"

" _Our location today was a casino...not what I was expecting, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of ways to mess with the others. Maybe I'll leave it all to chance." -Niles_

"Alright, now for today's challenge. Here's how this is going to work," Flash began. "In the four sections, there are six Stars waiting to be collected, guarded by a casino game of chance or something similar. It's your guys' job to round up the Stars; once all four stars are collected, everyone is to return to the roulette wheel in the center where we will compete for a fifth and final Star. Whichever team has the most is totally safe, and no one will be voted off."

"What about second and third place?" Xander asked.

"Second and third place will be determined by Bonus Stars," Flash explained. A pair of Goombas rolled in a chalkboard showing all the Bonus Stars. "As long as you guys are in teams, more often than not the second and third place teams will be determined by these things here. Each time I will randomly select three of these, and whoever did the best in the criteria gets them." He then showed what each Star was for.

 **Running Star - Team that traveled the farthest**

 **Happening Star - Team that had the most events happen to them**

 **Red Star - Team that suffered the most, whether it be physical injuries or mental/emotional distress**

 **Plus Star - Team that gained the most overall**

 **Minus Star - Team that lost the most overall**

 **Shopping Star - Team that spent the most money on stuff**

"Thanks guys," Goomba said to his two coworkers, who wheeled the chalkboard away.

"Team Garu, I mentioned yesterday you six have an advantage in this challenge, here it is." Flash held a Star. "You guys start off with a Star...and, a ten minute head start on the other two teams."

All of Team Garu was amazed by this. Beruka of course, kept her stoic demeanor.

" _We start off with a Star AND get a headstart on the other teams? I could tell right then and there we had this in the bag!" -Hinoka_

After giving Team Garu their star, the six had headed off, leaving the other two teams in the dust.

* * *

Team Garu raced towards the roulette wheel in hopes of getting another Star. When they got their, a Goomba would greet them.

"Welcome to the roulette!" It greeted. "Where you'll go, nobody knows!" It nudged Sakura and Hinoka. "If nobody's looking, slip me some coins and I just might get you closer to where you need to be."

"I-I think we should just spin...like normal…" Sakura suggested. Everyone agreed with her.

"Me, I like guarantees, but hey! It's your choice. I figured you wanted to play to win…" The Goomba muttered as it got ready to spin.

" _T-The Goomba...thought Hinoka and I would g-give him some money to...win. Personally, I want to play f-fair and square and…we already have an advantage, so why bother?" -Sakura_

The roulette began spinning as the Goomba kicked a marble onto it. The marble landed on…

A blue arrow, taking Team Garu to the blue section via a large metal hand. Effie spied a slot machine, pointing directly at it.

"That's gotta have a Star behind it!" She exclaimed, the group following her towards it.

* * *

Team Bufu and Team Agi soon took off after the ten minutes were up. There was much pushing and shoving among them, with Niles leading the pack. However, he was more than willing to ditch the others, and carried a coin purse that he no doubt purloined.

" _With the others squabbling over their position in this race, I thought I'd slip out and try to strike it out on my own. Don't get me wrong, I'd like my team to win but...come on. This is much easier." -Niles_

When Niles approached the Goomba, he tossed him the coin purse. "I'll take the red section," The outlaw requested. The Goomba greedily took the gold and let the metal hand take Niles there. Quickly, he began searching for anyone that could be hiding a star.

Back with the others, Team Agi reached the roulette first. Elise reached in her pocket to find that her coin purse was missing.

"Hey, where's my money?" Elise exclaimed in shock.

"And where's Niles?" Peri blinked, looking around. Leo facepalmed.

"I think I know where your coin purse went, sister," He flatly answered them both.

" _Rather predictable of Niles to do something like this. Of course, this is a competition, so I don't expect him to pull any punches. I know I won't, and I'm certain everyone else won't." -Leo_

"Normal spin for us," Ryoma said. The roulette took them to…

The green zone, essentially back to where they started. When Team Bufu took their turn, Camilla talked to the Goomba.

"Just spin like normal," Camilla told the Goomba.

"Alright la…" The Goomba started, but was taken by Camilla's looks. "Don't nosebleed, don't nosebleed, don't nosebleed…"

"Just spin the roulette already!" Keaton barked. The Goomba meeped as he did so, the roulette taking them…

To the pink zone. When Team Bufu arrived, they instantly headed towards the Goomba near a stack of cards.

"Hey hey! Want to play my game?" He asked.

"I'll play," Leo said. The Goomba laid out three cards face up - one had a green mushroom icon, a second had a star icon, and the third had some sort of lightning bolt icon on it.

"Watch the cards, and pick the item you want," The Goomba instructed, flipping the cards facedown. The cards began shuffling themselves, Leo keeping his eye on the one that had the Star.

" _If my hunch is right, the card with the star icon will give us a Star, and we'll be one step closer to victory today. It's good that I was able to realize this that fast." -Leo_

Once the cards stopped shuffling, Leo picked the third card. When it was flipped over…

It revealed the card had the star icon!

"Sharp eye, friend!" The Goomba congratulated. "Here's your Star!" The Goomba handed over a Star.

 **Scoreboard**

 **Garu: 1**

 **Bufu: 1**

 **Agi: 0**

* * *

Niles on the other hand, separated from his team found a Goomba appear before him from under a tile that looked like a pink and yellow die.

"Hey, let's play a dice game!" He said. "If you win, I'll give you a Star! If you lose, I'll send you back to start!"

"Fine then," Niles shrugged.

The Goomba went first, rolling a 2. Niles took his turn and rolled a 9.

"Wow, nice work!" The Goomba complimented. "Here you go!" He handed Niles a Star.

" _Not sure if a casino was the best place to choose my lone wolf strategy, but hey. I'm helping the team this way, so there's no way they can vote me off for this, right? Stupid killer doll..." -Niles_

 **Scoreboard**

 **Garu: 1**

 **Bufu: 1**

 **Agi: 1**

* * *

Back with Team Garu, Effie was currently trying to make the slot machine in the blue zone give them something. It wasn't through using it properly, it was trying to shake the Star out of the big thing.

"Effie, that's not how you use a slot machine," Beruka deadpanned. A Goomba raced over to see what the commotion was about, effortlessly trying to stop Effie from doing anything more to it.

"I-I think I'll try my luck at um...this," Sakura meekly spoke up.

Once Effie was removed from the slot machine, the Goomba instructed Sakura on what to do. "Alright, so if you can line up three icons here, I'll give you a Star. Sound easy enough?" Sakura only gave a nod.

" _E-Everyone was um...staring at me, like they de-depended on me to get this Star...I'm so nervous…" -Sakura_

The slot machine started up, and Sakura got a mushroom for her first icon. Waiting a little bit before making her second hit, she managed to get another mushroom. The pressure was on as she closed her eyes, letting out a little shriek as she hit a third time…

To get a third mushroom. Lights started flashing as a little celebratory tune played. Sakura opened her eyes to see that she got the Star, sighing with relief. Subaki patted her on the back.

"Well done, Lady Sakura." He smiled.

 **Scoreboard**

 **Garu: 2**

 **Bufu: 1**

 **Agi: 1**

* * *

Back with Team Agi, they managed to wind up in the pink zone on their second roll. Immediately they started looking for Niles. Xander, Ryoma, Oboro, and Peri began searching for where the heck he could've gone, and Elise skipped off on her own to try and find him that way. As she searched, Elise found something rather interesting. It was a yellow flip phone with black highlights, colored in the same way a Pichu would.

"This is so weird…" The younger princess mused. It started vibrating, so Elise quickly checked to see what was going on, pushing the green button to accept the call. Making sure no one was around when she did this, she asked, "Who is this?"

"Oh hello there!" A young voice responded. "I am the Hint Giver. Do you want a little help?"

" _So as we're looking for Niles, I find this weird thing and a voice on the other end is calling herself the Hint Giver. I'm not sure if I should trust this voice...but I'll take whatever I can get! If it means surviving on this team!" -Elise_

"Sure," Elise said, deciding to go with it.

"There's a gambling table at the topmost portion of this section that'll take you to the blue section. If you collect enough coins on it, you'll get a Star." The Hint Giver explained.

"Ooh, how many coins do I need to get?" Elise pressed.

"You'll have to find out yourself. Oh, and please leave this phone back where you found it. See you~!" And with that, The Hint Giver hung up. Elise did as the voice instructed, hiding it so no one else would be able to get the help she did, and raced for the top of the section. A Goomba was there to greet her.

"Care to go for a ride?" He asked.

"Yup!" Elise chirped.

"If you can collect 15 coins on the way across, we'll give you a Star." The Goomba told her. Elise gave a nod, ready to do this. She got on a large chip that looked like a coin, along with two spots for Elise to grab onto. Taking hold, the Goomba gave her a good push as she spun round and round, doing her best to steer herself in the path of the coins. There were 20 coins in total, so she didn't have much room for error.

By the time she got to the end, a second Goomba over there tallied up her score.

"Well young lady, you did pretty good," He said. "You earned...15 coins! Congratulations!"

"Yes!" Elise pumped a fist in the air.

" _I got a Star! I got a Star! It was right on the nose too! I think that if I keep finding that weird device, I should be in good shape for the future challenges." -Elise_

 **Scoreboard**

 **Garu: 2**

 **Agi: 2**

 **Bufu: 1**

* * *

Back in the pink section, Peri spotted Niles stopped at this orange pipe with an entrance hole that was too small for him to climb through. So what did he do?

He went over it.

"There you are!" Peri shouted. "Why did you blow us off?"

"First of all, I didn't blow you off. If I did that then I would've sat this challenge out," Niles defended. "And secondly, I got us a Star." He showed her the Star he got.

"Where'd you get that?" Oboro exclaimed.

"Some Goombas at these dice things are giving them out." Niles pointed to one that was off in the distance in the pink zone. However, his smile dropped when he found out that Rinkah was already there.

The Goomba rolled a 5, and Rinkah rolled a 2.

"Oh, too bad!" The Goomba said. A pitfall opened up over Rinkah suddenly, which took her back to where they started.

"Hurry!" The five raced over to get in on the action.

"Hey, guys! No pushing and shoving! There's a line here!" The Goomba exclaimed. Funny enough, there was indeed a line. Camilla was next, followed by Keaton, Takumi, Leo, and Azama. At this point, he was just along for the ride.

" _I have confidence my team will win today. We have two of the Nohrian royal family, Prince Takumi, the daughter of the Flame Tribe's chieftain, and a wolfskin. I'm merely here to observe." -Azama_

The Goomba rolled an 8, and Camilla rolled a 7, so she got sent back to the start too. Keaton was up next. The Goomba this time rolled a 3, and Keaton rolled an 8, winning the Star for Team Bufu.

" _Shame Camilla got sent back to the start away from us, but we still got the Star! It all worked out in the end. Now we just gotta win!" -Keaton_

 **Scoreboard**

 **Garu: 2**

 **Agi: 2**

 **Bufu: 2**

* * *

Back over in the blue section, Team Garu found another dice game Goomba, so they all lined up to try and take the Star. Elise spotted the line forming and got in the back.

"Where's your team, Lady Elise?" Effie asked, at the front of the line.

"Oh, they're back over in the pink section," Elise explained. "Can I go first?" Effie looked at her team, who wondered what the harm could've been. So they let Elise go first.

Hilariously, the Goomba rolled a 10, automatically having him win. This resulted in Elise being sent back to the start, and Hinoka chuckled.

Effie went next. The Goomba was intimidated by Effie giving him a death glare, and rolled a 1 as a result. Effie smirked, then proceeded to roll a 2. Just enough to get Team Garu the Star.

"That was for Lady Elise, jerk!" She then proceeded to punt the Goomba to parts unknown. Kagero shook her head.

" _Effie, while strong, is a bit problematic. Sure, there wasn't really any harm in letting Elise go first, but later down the road she might lose us challenges by helping her liege. I don't need to do something like that for Lord Ryoma." -Kagero_

 **Scoreboard**

 **Garu: 3**

 **Agi: 2**

 **Bufu: 2**

* * *

Back at the start, Elise started falling towards the platform, Camilla hearing her screaming. She caught her sister, hugging her close.

"Are you alright?" Camilla asked, worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks to you," Elise responded, smiling and returning the hug. "You would've let me land on you to cushion the fall, right?"

"Of course I would, sweetie." Camilla smiled as well. "I'm a big girl. I can manage you landing on me."

"Yeah, you really are…" Elise trailed off.

" _Effie isn't the only one that would help my dear sister. We might be on different teams, but that doesn't mean I can't show compassion to my dear siblings and their retainers. I don't have any reason to throw them in the dungeon, but I don't plan on going easy on them." -Camilla_

Flash was there, and spoke into a PA mic. "Can everyone report to the roulette at the center of the casino? Thank you!"

Camilla, Rinkah, and Elise headed on over there, Flash following them.

" _I don't know what's waiting for us there, but I want some payback for those Goombas dropping me back here! I'm all fired up!" -Rinkah_

Once everyone got there, Flash was standing there with a little bit of an anxious in his body language. Why? He was looking over his shoulder quite a few times.

"So...lemme just look over the score that everyone here at the Casino gave me." Flash took out a slip of paper and began reading. "Team Agi and Team Bufu are tied up at 2 Stars, and Team Garu is in the lead with 3 Stars. It's a pretty close game!"

"Is something troubling you, Flash?" Azama asked with a smile.

"Uh, yeah...the manager is on his way here, and he's not really happy about one of his employees getting kicked through the wall." Flash kept looking over his shoulders. All of Team Garu looked at Effie. "So...I think we're gonna have a Boss Battle. Whoever does the best gets a Star. This is a chance for a comeback. Everyone, pick one member from your teams to do battle!"

"Lemme at 'im!" Rinkah willingly volunteered.

"If I may, I'll fight this monster," Subaki said, stepping forward.

"Can I fight, Lord Xander?" Peri pleaded.

"Do you guys have any objections?" Xander asked his team, and they all shook their heads no. "Knock yourself out, Peri."

"Hurray!" Peri cheered.

Suddenly, a large Goomba stormed down to the group. He had similar garb that the Goomba they met at the beginning of the challenge had, but ditched the top hat for a green visor and had a nametag on his shirt that read 'Manager'.

* * *

 **BOSS BATTLE**

Peri vs Subaki vs Rinkah vs Manager Goomba

Manager Goomba's Roulette Rampage

Players: Peri, Subaki, Rinkah

Description: The players will select one of the four sections of the roulette. Manager Goomba will then spin the roulette and a ball will land in the quadrant that will be swarmed by Goombas. Whoever isn't in that section will get a chance to attack the boss.

Hint: Only one player can be in a section at a time. Be sure to act fast to get the section you want!

* * *

The three players stood across the roulette table from Manager Goomba, who jumped up and down and let out...a roar that Goomba apparently make.

 **START!**

 **Turn 1**

For the first turn, Subaki picked green, Peri picked red (probably because it was the same color of blood), and Rinkah picked blue. And yes, they were physically on the roulette. Manager Goomba started the roulette up, and the ball was sent on in. The ball landed…

In the red section, prompting Peri to be swarmed by Goombas. As she fought them off, Subaki and Rinkah got attacks in on Manager Goomba.

Peri: 0

Subaki: 3

Rinkah: 3

 **Turn 2**

For their second turn, Peri once again picked red, Subaki picked pink, and Rinkah picked green. Once again the roulette spun, this time the ball landed…

The red section again, causing Peri to fend off another wave of Goombas. Subaki and Rinkah got a few more strikes on the boss.

Peri: 0

Subaki: 6

Rinkah: 6

 **Turn 3**

For their third turn, Peri picked pink, Subaki picked blue, and Rinkah picked red. The roulette spun once more, and this time the ball landed…

The blue section, causing Subaki to get swarmed by Goombas. Peri attacked in a frenzy, and Rinkah kept up her pace.

Manager Goomba then got angry, as cartoonish steam puffs started coming from him.

Peri: 3

Subaki: 6

Rinkah: 9

 **Turn 4**

For their fourth turn, Peri picked blue, Subaki picked green, and Rinkah picked red once again. The roulette spun, but this time Manager Goomba threw in another ball to increase the chances of the players getting attacked. The balls landed…

In the pink and red sections. Rinkah got swamped by Goombas, allowing Subaki and Peri to get a few more attacks in.

Peri: 6

Subaki: 9

Rinkah: 9

 **Turn 5**

On the fifth turn, Peri picked green, Subaki picked red, and Rinkah picked pink. The roulette spun, and the balls were thrown in. This time they landed in…

The pink and green sections. Peri and Rinkah fought off Goombas that swamped them both, allowing Subaki to further his lead.

Peri: 6

Subaki: 12

Rinkah: 9

 **Turn 6**

Now on the sixth turn, Peri picked red, Subaki picked pink, and Rinkah picked blue. Once the roulette started up, the balls then landed in…

The blue and green sections. Rinkah got swarmed by Goombas, allowing Peri and Subaki to hopefully get the job done.

"Right where I want you!" Peri exclaimed, landing the final blow. Manager Goomba stumbled, then fell backwards in defeat.

Peri: 8 (plus 3 Final Strike)

Subaki: 13

Rinkah: 9

* * *

"We have our winner!" Flash exclaimed. "Man...man oh man. I gotta say, I gotta say, that was a close one. That one was awesome."

"So care to tell us who got the final Star?" Beruka asked.

"Sure thing! That person's name is...Subaki!" Flash exclaimed. "Which means, Team Garu, you are today's winners. Nobody goin' home tonight. Head back through the Dragon's Gate, and get prepared for tomorrow's challenge."

All of Team Garu minus Beruka let out a cheer, and headed on back to the fort.

" _I'm really happy that we won today. I didn't do much other than be around, but it feels good to be a winner! I hope we can ride this all the way to the end!" -Hinoka_

"So that leaves the rest of you. Team Agi. Team Bufu. We are going to determine who else is safe with the Bonus Stars!" Flash grinned. "Today's Bonus Stars are the Shopping Star, the Travel Star, and the Happening Star."

Everyone was nervous as to who won what, and mainly who was safe from being eliminated.

"The Shopping Star goes to...Team Agi, for they were the only ones to spend any money!" Flash announced. "The Travel Star goes to...well, it was a very close one, but it goes to Team Bufu! And finally, the Happening Star. The Happening Star goes to...Team Agi! You guys are safe!"

Oboro let out a sigh of relief, and Niles chuckled. Elise just cheered and glomped her brother.

" _Oh thank goodness we're safe! I was so worried that I might've been voted out since I'm somewhat of an outcast here, but I don't have to worry about that. Huzzah!" -Oboro_

"Team Bufu, can't say the same for you. You guys have all evening to figure out who is getting axed. See you guys back at the fort." Flash headed through the Dragon's Gate, followed by Team Agi. Team Bufu brought up the rear, a feeling of dread coming over a few of them.

" _Just our luck. We lost. I might get voted out tonight, but I'm not worried. They wouldn't think of getting rid of me...would they?" -Takumi_

* * *

Back at the fort, Team Bufu broke off into groups to discuss the vote. Leo and Camilla met in the former's room to talk about it.

"So what do you think we should do, Brother?" Camilla wondered.

"Hmm…" Leo put a hand to his chin. "We do have a few options here. We could vote out Takumi, but on the other hand we could vote out Azama. He wasn't willing to do anything, just wanted to observe."

"If you think about it this way, we would be taking away power from Oboro and Hinoka come the merge," Camilla added.

"Exactly my point." Leo nodded with a smirk. "Who do you think we should get rid of, though?"

"Um...I'm not sure about that." Camilla shook her head. "I was gonna go see Elise, ask for her opinion. There's not a rule against asking other teams for your opinion on a vote."

"Go right ahead," Leo responded, dismissing her. "Just so you know, my vote is Azama." Camilla gave a nod, leaving his room.

Meanwhile, Rinkah and Keaton were sitting next to each other on one of the couches in Bufu's section of the fort.

"What're you thinking we should do?" Rinkah asked.

" _I'm not a strategist at all. So whatever Keaton's willing to do, I'll do it. If there's only one 'strategic' thing about this whole thing, it'll keep the heat off me. *pauses, then chuckles* I can't believe I just made that pun, knowing my roots." -Rinkah_

"Personally, I want to make it easier on us once the teams are disbanded," Keaton said. "But at the same time, if we vote out a royal or their retainer, their partner so to speak will be angry with us."

"So you're suggesting we just vote with the team?" Rinkah raised an eyebrow. "Because I'm game for that."

"Alright. I'll go see what the others are doing." Keaton agreed. He got up and went to go see what the others were going to do. Just then, Takumi approached Rinkah.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Takumi spoke.

"Make it quick," Rinkah responded.

"Okay, are you voting for me?" Takumi suddenly asked. Rinkah raised an eyebrow.

"Eh? Where'd you get that idea?" She answered. "Honestly, I haven't decided yet."

"Good because...I'm a little nervous that it might be me. I don't know who to vote for." Takumi confided. Rinkah motioned for Takumi to come close, and whispered something in his ear. The blueblood nodded and went off, now feeling at ease.

Speaking of bluebloods, Camilla caught up with Elise.

"Hey sis!" Elise cheerily greeted. "So hey, something weird happened to me today."

"Oh? Do tell," Camilla requested. Elise told her about the weird phone and the Hint Giver she met today. "Interesting...I'll keep my eyes peeled for that. We can share the hints together."

"Thanks. So what'd you want to talk about?" Elise giggled.

"I can't decide if I want to vote out Azama or Takumi...what do you think I should do?" Camilla asked.

"Vote out Azama," Elise answered. "Oboro's on my team, and I don't want her getting upset. It means less sleep for me."

"You don't get much sleep? And got it." Camilla was a little concerned.

"Yeah, with our big brother and Ryoma on the same team, along with Peri and Oboro, it's not exactly the most peaceful part of this fort." Elise informed.

" _Camilla and I set up this secret little deal with one another that we share the information that The Hint Giver tells us. I even made her pinky swear on it, so there's no way we'll go back on this!" -Elise_

Azama on the other hand, just waited for the vote to happen.

" _Should I survive this vote, praise Hotoke. If not, praise Hotoke regardless. They'll be down one member regardless. We'll just have to see what happens." -Azama_

* * *

Once the sun set, Team Bufu proceeded down a grand staircase into the basement where two three seater couches sat in front of a large screen TV, which Flash was present on.

"Welcome Team Bufu, to the last place you'd want to be. It's here where you will vote off one of your own, and no one wants to be the first person voted out." He said. "But...I don't think you guys have anything you want to say before we vote, right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright then," Flash added, chuckling. "One by one, you will all go through the door behind me, sit down in front of the camera, and say who you want to vote for. Don't ask how I set all this equipment up. Cost me a pretty penny and a lot of labor as well. Takumi, you're up first." With that, Takumi went to cast his vote.

Outside the fortress, on a large outdoor stage, Azura stood on the stage wearing the same getup she wore for the dance in Conquest's route, but it lacked the face veil. An audience of hundreds were present, all cheering as Azura waved to them. She looked absolutely stunning.

"Welcome everyone, to our first voting ceremony here in Fates Party," Azura greeted. "Flash is currently handling the votes, and in moments we will learn who the first person kicked out of the party is. Additionally, I will be conducting interviews with those voted out."

Back inside, Takumi was walking down the hallway to the voting room. Azura was watching from a monitor out on stage.

"Takumi has stated he is nervous for tonight's vote. Will he survive tonight?" Azura wondered as Takumi sat down in the chair sitting right in front of the camera.

"Hello, Takumi!" Flash greeted.

"Evening, Flash," Takumi greeted in kind.

"Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"I vote to eliminate Rinkah," Takumi confirmed.

"Thanks, man. You can go back now." Flash instructed. Takumi walked out as Leo passed him by.

"Leo has set up a plan to bring the Nohrian royal family together in the end. His vote tonight should be obvious," Azura commented.

"Hello, Leo!" Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"I vote to eliminate Azama." Leo cast his vote.

"Thanks man. You can head on back." Leo left the voting room and passed his sister Camilla in the hallway.

"Camilla has made an agreement with her younger sister to share information. How will this affect her vote?" Azura wondered.

"Hello, Camilla!" Flash greeted. "You're looking lovely tonight, as always."

"Why thank you," Camilla chuckled.

"Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"I'm voting to eliminate Azama. Sorry Azama." Camilla voted.

"Thanks, ma'am. You can head back." Camilla got up and left the voting room, passing Azama along the way.

"Azama's made it very clear he is only observing. His vote should be interesting," Azura mused.

"Hello, Azama!" Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"I vote to eliminate Leo." Azama confirmed.

"Thanks man, head on back." Azama left the booth as Rinkah passed him by.

"Rinkah is following Keaton in this game to 'keep the heat off her' so to speak. Who will she vote for tonight?" Azura asked no one in particular.

"Hello, Rinkah!" Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"Well, I'm voting to eliminate Azama. Gotta keep the team strong." Rinkah voted.

"Thanks, head on back." Rinkah got up and walked out, Keaton now coming.

"With three votes to eliminate, Azama is going to be walking out the door," Azura said, causing some reaction in the crowd. "Keaton's vote won't matter, so let's see how he votes."

"Hello, Keaton!" Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"I'm voting to eliminate Azama. Nothing personal, just a game." Keaton responded.

"Thanks, head on back." Keaton headed on back to the basement, everyone waiting Flash to reveal the votes.

"Alright Team Bufu. The votes are in. Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe, meaning they had no votes against them." Flash began. "The people that are safe are...Camilla, Takumi, and Keaton."

Takumi looked relieved as Camilla sported a smile on her face.

"As for the rest of you? By a vote...of 4 to 1 to 1, Azama, you have been eliminated from Fates Party." Flash revealed.

Azama laughed a little. "Well, best of luck to all of you." He said, gathering his things and heading up the staircase after waving goodbye to everyone.

The staircase led to a door, which led right onto the stage where Azama was met with applause. Azura sat on one of the two luxurious chairs in the center of the stage, a small table in between them. Azama occupied the empty chair.

"Good to see you, Azama," Azura greeted. "How does it feel to be the first person voted out?"

"Oh, I'm not that upset by it," Azama replied. "They voted how they voted and that's all there is to it."

"You seem happy that you were voted out. Why is that?" Azura wondered.

"To be blunt with you Azura, I'm glad that I won't be caught in the crossfire when the teams are disbanded, and the two rulers of Hoshido and Nohr are trying to show up the other." Azama explained. "It's going to be an utter bloodbath with those two concerned."

"Are you worried that Hinoka might suffer as a result of their fighting?" Azura asked.

"Oh not at all. Lady Hinoka is a strong woman who can handle herself." Azama shook his head. "If she wins, she wins for both of us. The same can be said for the rest of the royal families and their retainers."

"I see. Well, thank you for playing Azama." Azura thanked, the monk met with another round of applause. He then walked off the stage, down a torchlit road that led to a two story house off in the distance where those voted out would stay for the duration of the game.

(And...that's done. Okay, so about the Hint Giver that popped up in this episode, lemme explain a few things about that. She'll only show up every three or four episodes, and only one person will be able to hear her information. Like a Hidden Immunity Idol or clue to one, the person who hears this information can do with this whatever they please, and it appears on a first come, first serve basis. Lastly, the Hint Giver will only appear by phone until her last appearance, which will come VERY late into the game, so players won't know about the fact she appears that way unless they find out for themselves or those who are in the know tell any other players, like Elise told Camilla.

That being said, I really didn't have many plans for Azama. I think he's a fine character, but not the best healer out there.

Next time we'll be practicing our one inch punch in the next episode! Will Team Bufu make a comeback? Stay tuned!)


	4. Episode 3: Moment of Zen

(Well, last episode sure was something. Had a lot of new stuff introduced, and now it's time to get back to the game. If you guys aren't getting my hints on the next board, that's fine. Let me know if I need to make them easier for you.

Also, fans of Azama need not despair! If any of you know who Zingbot is, you're going to love what I have planned for that monk.

But enough about that, let's get to the party!)

 **Episode 3: Moment of Zen**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _The eighteen contestants got settled into their new digs for the duration of Fates Party. Nothing really interesting happened there, other than Elise complaining she won't be getting much sleep._

 _The next day, the group followed Flash to their Hell for the day, Goomba's Greedy Gala. The challenge was to collect Stars hidden behind games of chance. Oh yeah, and Team Garu had a 1 Star and 10-minute head start on the other two teams._

 _Some very interesting things happened - Niles stole Elise's coin purse to try and strike it out on his own, Effie tried to break open a slot machine, and apparently Goombas get nosebleeds._

 _The Hint Giver made her first appearance in this episode, with Elise finding the phone used to get in contact with her._

 _Peri, Subaki, and Rinkah fought the Goomba Manager at the end, with Subaki cinching the win to secure Team Garu immunity. Team Agi won 2 out of the 3 Bonus Stars, forcing Team Bufu to vote off one of their own._

 _Before the vote, Camilla and Elise made a pact to share whatever advice that the Hint Giver would give either one of them, and Takumi lobbied with Rinkah to secure his safety._

 _At the vote, in a 4-1-1 decision, Azama was the first person kicked out of Fates Party. 17 are still in the running. Who will be eliminated this time? Find out...now!_

 **Team Garu: Effie, Beruka, Hinoka, Kagero, Sakura, Subaki**

 **Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton**

 **Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma, Oboro, Niles**

* * *

The five surviving members of Team Bufu returned to their rooms, Takumi catching up with Rinkah.

"Thank you for letting me do that, Rinkah," Takumi thanked.

"Ah, think nothing of it. I wasn't in any danger tonight," Rinkah responded.

" _Yeah, I let Takumi vote for me tonight. Since I knew Azama was going to go home anyway, and since he didn't want to make Hinoka mad at him, I let him do what he did so he could stay out of any crosshairs. Not sure how well Keaton will take this though." -Rinkah_

Takumi went back to his room, smiling as he did so.

" _Thanks to Rinkah, I'm in a very good position right now. I could either align with the Nohrian royals for the time being, or align myself with Rinkah and Keaton to get the royals out. But it seems too good to be true…" -Takumi_

* * *

In Team Garu's rooms, Beruka was quietly observing her Hoshidan teammates.

" _As I've stated before, I'm in the minority 4-2. I'd hate to do it, but if I have to throw Effie under the carriage to survive, so be it. I can only hope Lady Camilla wouldn't hold it against me, eliminating her sister's retainer." -Beruka_

Sakura and Hinoka were speaking with one another.

"Um...what do you think tomorrow's challenge will be?" Sakura asked.

"Probably something we'll excel at," Hinoka wagered. "Think about it. We did good in today's challenge, so we'll just soar through tomorrow like it's nothing!"

"Yeah...I-I hope you're right…" Sakura meekly agreed.

" _It-It wouldn't be very fun to be voted out...but I should be fine, right? I mean...I should be s-safe around Hinoka and Subaki…" -Sakura_

* * *

In Team Agi's rooms, Elise ran over to Xander. "Big brotherrrrrr!" She called.

"What is it, Elise?" Xander turned around to face her.

"If we lose tomorrow, I wanna get rid of Niles," Elise had a frown, and a face that showed she was upset. "He stole my coin purse today and gave it all to those Goombas!"

Xander folded his arms. "Typical...we'll see what happens, sister. I'm mainly worried about how well Leo will take it."

"Who cares?" Elise mimicked her brother, pouting. "Teammates shouldn't do that to one another…"

" _Leo doesn't need Niles to do good in this game. He's got Camilla on his team, and he's really smart to boot! Xander really needs to use his head sometimes. I know he saw right through Charlotte's act, but come on! You're better than this!" -Elise_

* * *

The next morning, everyone met up out front to see Flash once again at the Dragon's Gate. Team Bufu was the last out.

"Team Garu, Team Agi, take your first look at the new Team Bufu. Azama voted out last Elimination Ceremony," Flash said. Hinoka shook her head.

"I thought that would've happened…" She sighed.

"Anyway, that's enough lamenting on the past. It's time to move onto today's challenge! Follow me!" Flash ran through the Dragon's Gate as the seventeen players followed him, curious what was on the other side this time.

When they got to the other side, they found themselves at the foot of an ancient Chinese mountain mixed with Japanese buildings. An elderly Toad with a tan and brown cap, small round glasses, a purple vest and dress shirt with yellow trim and buttons (respectively) stood next to Flash, holding a walking cane with a mushroom top similar to the cap he had.

It was also worth noting that practically everyone was taller than him, where everyone (except Flash) had to look down to see him.

"Welcome to Pagoda Peak! This mountain is 4,000 years old! You can just smell the history." The Toad greeted. "I'm Toadsworth, and Flash invited me today to help out."

" _Today we're at this old mountain, and it looks like something you'd find in Hoshido. I think my siblings will do just fine here today, given the sense of nostalgia the four of us are feeling." -Ryoma_

"Toadsworth, if you could explain today's challenge to these wonderful people, that'd be nice," Flash requested.

"Righto! As you climb the mountain to the top, collect as many coins as you can through the various activities here at Pagoda Peak. Do not dally however, as it is a race as well! The first team to get to the top will win fifteen extra coins, second will win ten, and the last team will only win five." Toadsworth continued. "Whoever has the most coins at the end will claim victory."

"And don't forget, second and third place will be decided by Bonus Stars, so really you only need two out of three to get immunity," Flash reminded. "I think that's everything."

"That's correct, old chap," Toadsworth confirmed. "As for the rest of you, it's time to party!" Flash had to pull Toadsworth out of the way to prevent him from getting bowled over by the seventeen players all in a tizzy to win. "...Oh, curses! I should have told them that scoundrel Bowser is certainly out there somewhere."

"They'll find out eventually," Flash added. "All in due time, Toadsworth. All in due time…"

* * *

Team Bufu was currently in the town, looking around for ways they could make money, but they were coming up empty handed.

"Find anything, Rinkah?" Keaton called.

"No, but keep searching!" Rinkah called back.

Camilla soon approached a gong that stood out like a sore thumb. An elderly Koopa on a cloud flew down to her.

"Who are you?" Camilla asked.

"I am the Koopa Master," He greeted. "Do you wish to ring the Gong of Fate?"

"Hmm...I suppose it wouldn't hurt," Camilla agreed. The numbers at the top of the gong (that started at 10) began spinning, which the blueblood didn't know what it meant. She rang the gong with a big kick, the number stopping at 20.

"I see your fate...you have a hard fight ahead of you, Lady Camilla. But through it all you will have your head held high," Koopa Master said, giving her 20 coins. He then floated up back to the top of the mountain.

" _This Koopa Master fellow said that I'd have a hard fight ahead of me. I don't know what that means, but whatever it is...I'll be ready for it. It's like I once told Keaton, bandits run afoul of me. Not the other way around." -Camilla_

* * *

Elsewhere, Team Agi was staring at two bottle rockets casually standing about on a platform near the start. Toadsworth was nearby.

"Oh ho!" He exclaimed. "Perhaps you want to ride on one of my special bottle rockets. If you get lucky, you'll fly to the top of the mountain! But if the launch goes bad, you might end up even lower than before!"

"We'd love to!" Oboro responded.

"I see. Unfortunately, only one of you will be able to fit on them," Toadsworth mentioned. "Who wants to do it?"

"Allow me." Xander stepped forward.

"Righto, choose your favorite bottle rocket," Toadsworth said. Xander gestured to the left one. "One moment...let me get ready."

" _This might backfire, and I'd rather not let Peri or my little sister be in any danger by this. Hopefully the others can catch up to me, for I would want nothing more than to blaze the trail to glory!" -Xander_

Soon, Xander was strapped into the bottle rocket, and by strapped in we mean tied to the bottle rocket.

"Right then. Cheerio!" Toadsworth lit the fuse and sent Xander off. The rocket did several twists and turns in midair before crash landing a few feet from where the whole group started. All of them winced, and Elise instantly raced over in concern.

"Big brother!" She shouted.

"Lord Xander!" Peri cried out with the same amount of worry.

* * *

Meanwhile with Team Garu, they were all crossing the bamboo stalks to continue their trek up the mountain. Kagero crossed over first, as everyone slowly but surely followed.

" _Some of these activities seems like things that ninjas would excel at. I feel that whatever awaits us at the top won't be pleasant, so I have to conserve my energy." -Kagero_

Effie was the last one to get across, what with her heavy armor.

"I swear, if we were allowed to have our mounts this would be so much easier…" Hinoka complained.

What they didn't know was that Toadsworth was nearby at the other side.

"Hello, old beans!" He exclaimed, giving all six of them a shock. "Are any of you interested in a Duel Minigame? Battle another team for a chance to spin for coins!"

"Who wants to do it?" Kagero asked.

"I'll handle it!" Hinoka openly volunteered.

" _Without Azama, I'm not going to get this advantage Flash mentioned going into the merge. Since there'd be no love lost if I was eliminated, I've got to prove myself." -Hinoka_

"Splendid! Now, which team do you want to do battle with, Lady Hinoka?" Toadsworth asked. Hinoka didn't even have to think about it.

"Team Bufu," She quickly answered.

"Right then, if you'll just excuse me for a second," Toadsworth then did...something, and a familiar yell was heard from the sky. It was Takumi! He landed with a thud, but somehow was fine.

"...Can I retract my volunteer?" Hinoka then asked.

" _Well, this is just great. I was hoping to beat Camilla, but instead I have to duel my own brother. This is not going to be fun." -Hinoka_

"Afraid not." Toadsworth shook his head. "Confounded machine can't let me choose who has to duel."

* * *

Gimme a Sign

Players: Hinoka, Takumi

Description: When Shy Guy holds up a card, that board with that design will sink. Don't be on it when it sinks!

Hint: Sometimes Shy Guy raises 2 signs at once! Keep your eyes open!

* * *

Hinoka and Takumi were on four floating rafts in a river, each with a symbol - a red leaf, a blue water droplet, a green flower, and a yellow stump on Takumi's side of the river, and the inverse order on Hinoka's side of the river. In the center was a dock where a Shy Guy stood.

 **START!**

The Shy Guy held up a sign that had the green flower symbol on it, and Hinoka happened to be standing on it. She quickly darted off it as it sunk, and Takumi went to the top most raft and hoped that it wouldn't be picked. The blue drop was next, and Hinoka went back to the wet green flower raft to avoid being out. The yellow trunk went down next, but neither royal was standing on it.

The challenge began to ramp up as the Shy Guy started putting up two signs. The red and blue rafts were next, forcing Takumi to make a run for it in order to stay alive. He managed to get to safety just in the nick of time, only for green and yellow to be next. Takumi groaned as he went back to the red raft, and Hinoka followed. The rafts were now wet and slippery. Red was the next raft to go under again, the royals having to move once more.

Green and yellow were the last two rafts, because as they both moved to safety, they both slipped. But one of them was able to regain their balance while the other fell in.

And that person was…

.

.

.

.

...Takumi.

 **FINISH!**

* * *

"I won? I won!" Hinoka exclaimed.

"Splendid work, Lady Hinoka!" Toadsworth congratulated. "Now, spin the Slot of Stupendedness for your prize!" A yellow ! Block appeared above her as well as a disk that showed various coin prizes. Hinoka jumped up and hit it, the spinner stopping on 10 coins, taking those from Team Bufu's total and adding it to Team Garu's.

" _So I won against my brother in a minigame, and now I went and got some coins for the team. Not the battle I wanted to fight, but I'm pleased with the results." -Hinoka_

And so Toadsworth did...something with the thing again to send Takumi back to his teammates. Hinoka groaned as she rubbed her ankle.

"Those rafts were really slippery..." She said.

* * *

Flying around the mountain in his Koopa Clown Car, a very familiar Koopa King, AKA Bowser, was flying around the area with a blue robed Magikoopa flying alongside him. And said Koopa King was not very happy.

He had just gotten word that apparently, there was a large group of people at one of the locations that Mario and friends went to on the cruise he was never invited to.

However, some of these people that were reported were...not who he was expecting. Royalty from kingdoms he's never heard of? A guy who can transform into some sort of wolf creature? Some crazy eyed woman with cotton candy colored hair? Everything seemed so outlandish, especially that last part, that he needed to see this for himself.

"Your Rashness, what's the plan?" The Magikoopa asked.

"It's simple, Kamek! Someone decided to have a party without my say-so, so I'm gonna fix that!" Bowser laughed. He and Kamek flew to the top of the mountain, the former getting out of the Clown Car. Koopa Master walked out of his dojo, a large amount of smoke following him.

"Who dares intrude on these lands?" He asked.

"Only the King of Awesome, that's who!" Bowser retorted. "And he's a bit unhappy that there was a party going on that no one bothered to invite him to. It's not a Mario Party without Bowser!"

"I will only ask you once, Bowser," Koopa Master warned. "Leave this place at once, or you will regret it."

Bowser laughed. "Get real, gramps! After I came all this way, you're telling me to turn back with my tail between my legs? Forget that!"

"You tell him, Your Boldness!" Kamek encouraged.

"And just to show you how much I'm not leaving…" Bowser then jumped off the top, driving his whole weight elbow first into the topmost bridge, breaking it entirely and making a loud sound like a clap of thunder that resonated through the whole mountain. He then landed in his Koopa Clown Car - which conveniently flew under him - and went back to the top.

"...You've forced my hand," Master Koopa said, a little annoyed. "Come, guardian of Pagoda Peak!"

* * *

Team Garu was closest to the bridge that was destroyed, as Sakura jumped.

"Eek! W-What was that!?" She shrieked. The younger princess clung to Subaki as this happened.

"Maybe something fell?" Subaki was just as confused.

"I'll go see what that was," Kagero stated. "If there's any danger, you'll be the first ones to know about it."

"Allow me to go with you," Beruka requested. Kagero nodded as the two women went on ahead. They soon returned.

"The bridge ahead has been destroyed," Kagero grimly informed.

"What!?" The other four yelled in shock, pushing past them to see it for themselves. Kagero and Beruka followed close behind. It was noted that Hinoka was slightly limping the whole way.

* * *

Team Bufu looked around in confusion as to what caused that noise.

"What in the world?" Rinkah didn't know what caused that.

"It's not ideal for rain…" Leo looked up, no storm clouds present in the sky. "Something must've caused that."

"It sounded like it came from higher up the mountain," Camilla deduced. "Let's not waste any more time." The group nodded and rushed towards the source of the noise.

* * *

As Elise checked Xander over for any injuries, Team Agi too felt the effects of what Bowser did.

"Huh? Was that some sort of tremor?" Niles wondered.

"It sure didn't sound natural," Oboro said.

Ryoma didn't like this one bit. "Stay behind me and Xander, everyone," He ordered. "We know nothing of what caused that disturbance." Everyone did as they were told. "Are you hurt, Xander?"

Xander shook his head no to confirm he was fine.

" _The royal families have taken to referring to each other in more casual terms. It was Elise's idea; she claims it'll help us be closer as friends. It'll take some time for me to get used to." -Ryoma_

* * *

Once everyone got to the bridge, to their horror it was totally destroyed. Jumping across was out of the question.

"How did this happen?" Hinoka wondered.

"Whoever did it clearly doesn't want us to be here!" Takumi chimed.

"Mwahahaha! You've got that right, Pineapple Head!" A voice bellowed. It was Bowser!

"Who are you?" Ryoma demanded.

"Only the baddest Koopa around. I'm Bowser, King of the Koopas!" Bowser introduced.

"I see," Leo spoke up. "It was you who destroyed the bridge, wasn't it?"

"Guilty as charged!" Bowser wasn't sorry. "I just heard that someone was throwing a party without me, and didn't even bother inviting me!"

"The contest was supposed to be between Hoshido and Nohr," Camilla interrupted Bowser before he could add anything else. "Nowhere in Flash's offer did he mention a Koopa King."

"Don't butt in, tramp!" Bowser roared.

"Who are you calling a tramp, you scaly churl?" Camilla glared. Despite not having weapons, she wasn't afraid of fighting the Koopa King right here and now.

"You looking for a fight, lady?" Bowser chuckled.

"Oh please. I wear heels bigger than your ego," Camilla scoffed. "If you fight as well as you bluster, I'll have a nice and stimulating battle."

All of the sudden, another roar resonated through the area, but it wasn't from Bowser.

"I'd say you'd have bigger problems than a stupid bridge and me," Bowser said. "Because that giant dragon up at the top of the mountain is looking to get rid of some trespassers."

"You're obviously talking about yourself," Niles deadpanned. "What do you want from us? Other than a captive audience to show off?"

"Nothing! Just thought I'd send a message to whoever organized this thing!" Bowser answered. Suddenly Flash raced onto the scene.

"Hey guys, what's- oh...hello there." Flash's mood dropped when he saw Bowser. "Just what I needed."

"So you're the one that put this altogether?" Bowser asked. "You're nothing more than a teenager."

"Who were you expecting, a lasagna loving plumber?" Flash rolled his eyes. "Look buddy, if you're looking for a fight you're barking up the wrong tree. Now if you're not going to clean up after yourself, get out."

"Fine. I'll be back!" Bowser promised. "Kamek! We're leaving!"

"Coming!" Kamek called, flying off after Bowser.

Toadsworth finally caught up, panting. "Huff...huff...these long treks are sure hard on an old timer such as myself." He saw the destroyed bridge. "I wish I could have warned you about this…"

"What was that guy's problem?" Peri wondered. "If I had my lance I would've already found out what color he bled."

"You see, every time there's a party of the Mario variety, Bowser always shows up. He just loves to ruin your day, though I didn't think he would crash our party this early." Flash explained.

"But how're we supposed to get across now?" Effie asked, her stomach growling. "Ugh…"

All the other players looked to Leo, who had a hand to his chin. "Hmm...none of us have our mounts, so this is going to be a bit complicated…"

"Do you have anything in mind, brother?" Xander inquired.

"I do have a few," Leo answered. "But we're going to have to get through this as one."

"Alright, let's hear it!" Keaton wagged his tail.

" _It's nice to work together for a change instead of being at each other's throats. Never did I come into this thinking we'd all be wanting to bring the other side down, and I'm glad that's not the case." -Keaton_

"Well, either we're going to have to make our own bridge across, or make some other way across." Leo looked above them. "We could try and lift someone up there to act as an anchor and transport others across by a rope."

"I'll do it," Rinkah offered.

"As for rope, we'll need to knot it and put something down there as a footrest," Oboro chimed. "You leave the rope to me!"

"Flash, can we ask you to get a big enough rope for us?" Leo requested. "And while you're at it, something that will get Effie back to her usual self?"

"Sure thing!" Flash agreed. "Toadsworth, make sure she doesn't start eating the mountain." Flash darted off before Toadsworth could even question it.

And so the group got to work. The royals - minus Sakura and Elise - and Keaton worked together to get Rinkah up to the portion of the mountain where she would hold the rope for the others to get across. Some of the retainers got to helping, and the younger princesses went to grab edible things for Effie to munch on until Flash returned with the things they needed. Even Toadsworth helped Sakura and Elise in that endeavor.

" _Everyone was doing something...to help us get through this. I-I'm scared of what...that Bowser guy was talking about...but as long as I-I have my siblings...and my friends, I should be okay…" -Sakura_

Eventually Flash returned with a long rope a fresh wooden plank with a hole in the center, just big enough for the rope to go through. He also had a plate of rice balls.

"One giant rope and wooden platform, as you ordered!" Flash exclaimed, handing the rope and platform over to Oboro. Rinkah was already in position at this time. "And for Effie, one plate of rice balls made extra special. Might not look like much but-"

Before he could finish, Effie grabbed the plate and started hounding the treat down.

"They'll...fill you right back up…" Flash finished, shaking his head and chuckling.

"How's that going to work?" Elise questioned the logic. "Effie normally eats a lot more than that."

"I know, and I didn't want to blow the whole budget in a single episode," Flash responded. "I simply told a little lie to the cook about a Yoshi who hadn't eaten anything in two days. I got him to add a special ingredient that'll make the amount of food I bought feel like a feast."

As Flash claimed, Effie was back to her usual self after eating what Flash brought her.

"Huh…" Elise blinked, but opted not to question it.

"Nothing's made sense ever since this contest began," Takumi commented. "Just be thankful."

As for Oboro, she had already gotten to work on knotting the rope. Takumi and Sakura assisted her since it was a long rope. Once that was done, they tossed the part Rinkah would hold up to her.

" _I'm doing everyone a huge favor here. Carrying everyone across is going to be a really big chore, but I can be strong as an ox! These abs right here? *points to them* News flash: They're real." -Rinkah_

Starting with the royal families, Rinkah began carrying everyone across one by one. After the royals, the retainers were next. Effie was up next, and Rinkah looked to the others. Thankfully, a few other people helped anchor the rope as they carried Effie across.

Keaton was the last of the players to be carried across, and finally Flash and Toadsworth were brought across as well. By the time they were done, Rinkah rubbed her sore arms.

"Whew...that was a workout…" She breathed a sigh of relief, wiping sweat off her brow.

"You did good, Rinkah," Ryoma complimented. "Your tribe would be proud of you."

"Of course they would." Rinkah smirked.

"And the scoreboard is now Leo one, Bowser zilch!" Flash exclaimed. Another roar from the top of the mountain was heard. "Now on that note, you guys might wanna hurry to the top. We'll see you there!" Flash and Toadsworth scurried along, and everyone went off after them.

* * *

Team Agi ran across a flaming lion rock, Toadsworth there.

"This was lit on fire when Bowser sent the guardian in a frenzy. There might be coins in there!" He said.

"If you're thinking of fanning out the flames, that'll get nothing accomplished," Niles pointed out.

"Worth a shot anyway!" Peri giggled. Toadsworth gave her a large fan as Peri got to fanning.

" _Fanning out a fire was super easy! When I held onto the fan's handle I just pretending I was shaking the life out of someone. Anything to help Lord Xander win, hee hee!" -Peri_

Once the flames were somehow put out, Peri went inside and found a treasure chest inside. Niles, sighing as he couldn't believe that worked, cracked the chest open to reveal ten coins inside.

"Alright, every little bit helps," Niles said. "Now let's move!" With that, the group proceeded on to the top.

* * *

At the top of the mountain, one by one the teams arrived. First was Team Bufu, followed by Team Garu and then Team Agi.

"So glad you could make it, everyone!" Flash exclaimed. "Team Bufu, you got here first so you get fifteen bonus coins, Team Garu got here second so they get ten bonus coins, and finally Team Agi, you only get five bonus coins."

"As for your scores, Team Bufu is leading with thirty coins, Team Garu has twenty coins, and Team Agi has fifteen coins." Toadsworth added.

"Leading? Don't you mean we won?" Keaton raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, uh…" Flash would have said more, but one last roar echoed throughout the area. A large, thirteen and a half foot puppet looking dragon flew above everyone. It was colored green and yellow primarily, and had pretty sharp looking teeth and claws despite not being a real dragon.

Sakura shrieked at the sight of it, and Elise backed up behind Xander.

"You guys know the drill!" Flash shouted.

"Stay back Elise...I'll deal with this!" Xander stepped forward for Team Agi.

"Don't count me out of it, dear brother," Camilla chimed, stepping forward for Team Bufu. "I wouldn't want any harm befalling our darling little sister just as much as you."

"Lord Ryoma, we may not be on the same teams, but I will fight for you," Kagero spoke, stepping forward for Team Garu.

"Best of luck, Kagero!" Ryoma encouraged.

"Don't get careless, sister," Leo cautioned Camilla.

"Rip 'em up, Lord Xander!" Peri cheered.

* * *

 **BOSS BATTLE**

Kagero vs. Camilla vs. Xander vs. Puppet Dragon

Puppet Dragon's Dojo Duel

Players: Kagero, Camilla, Xander

Description: Players will hit Item Blocks as they pop up to launch Bullet Bills at Puppet Dragon. Hit as many blocks as you can to win!

Hint: Puppet Dragon will swoop down on the stage at half health, and breathe fire during the whole battle. Tread carefully to avoid becoming dragon chow!

* * *

The three players stood on a circular, floating platform. Puppet Dragon soon arrived, breathing fire to create a ring at the edge around the platform. Letting out a roar, it was ready to do battle. So were Kagero, Camilla, and Xander.

 **START!**

Item Blocks started appearing as Puppet Dragon began spitting gouts of fire at the group. Kagero easily ninja'd away from danger, leaving Camilla and Xander to run out of the way instead.

Camilla was striking Item Blocks and sending Bullet Bills at their foe as she ran under them, much faster than Kagero and Xander surprisingly. She wanted to end this as quick as she could. Her thoughts were shared by the other two fighting with her.

Kagero and Xander weren't about to let Camilla have all the fun as they were hitting Item Blocks too in between attacks from Puppet Dragon.

Eventually, Puppet Dragon started steaming, the green components of its body turning red.

 **Score**

Kagero: 5

Camilla: 7

Xander: 6

All of the sudden Puppet Dragon swooped down towards the platform, turning its head left and right as it tried to catch any of the three in its fire.

"Gah!" Xander yelped, jumping out of the way.

"Ngh…" Kagero winced, nearly getting burned.

"Die already!" Camilla shouted, hitting more Item Blocks. The other two quickly joined her in the endeavor.

Puppet Dragon, not wanting to give up yet, slashed its claws at the group, hitting them all. As Camilla and Xander got up, they spied two Item Blocks. Seeing Kagero slowly getting up, they both nodded to each other and made a run for them.

"Say night night!" Camilla exclaimed.

"Be gone, wretch!" Xander yelled.

It was worth note that they shouted these lines in perfect unison with one another, as their attacks finished the job. Puppet Dragon started exploding as parts of it began falling down towards the mountain. It let out one last roar before its head joined the rest of its destroyed body.

 **FINISH!**

 **Final Score**

Kagero: 7

Camilla: 9 (Plus 3 Final Strike)

Xander: 8 (Plus 3 Final Strike)

* * *

"Alright! That's over with." Flash said. "I was going to give out bonus coins, but it wouldn't have been enough. That and I spent them all getting the stuff needed to cross the broken bridge. Camilla, congratulations! You've won it for Team Bufu!"

Camilla took a bow as Koopa Master approached her with something in his hands.

"Lady Camilla, well done. As proof of your achievement, please take this Master Koopa T-shirt!" He said. "They are popular with young crickets." He handed her a white t-shirt with his face on it, prompting Camilla to check if it would fit.

It wouldn't.

" _So after climbing up this big mountain, and fighting a giant puppet dragon, I won the challenge for my team and all I got was this stupid t-shirt. *holds it in front of her* It doesn't even fully cover my bosom." -Camilla_

"So Team Bufu, head on back to the fort," Flash added, the five players doing just that. They were all happy that they won.

"Which leaves us Team Garu and Team Agi." Toadsworth turned to the two teams that were vulnerable. "What Bonus Stars are we using today, Flash old bean?"

"Today's Bonus Stars are…" Flash started...but paused. "Crap, I forgot." Everyone had an anime sweatdrop as the host began looking through a notebook with a maroon cover. "Lemme just check my notes...ah ha! They are the Shopping Star, Plus Star, and Red Star!"

The two teams were anxious as to who was safe thanks to these stars.

"The Shopping Star goes to...me, because I bought all the stuff we needed for Leo's plan to work," Flash announced. "And the Plus Star and Red Star goes to the same team, which is...Team Garu! Congratulations Hinoka, you saved your team from the chopping block!"

All of Team Garu cheered as they give Hinoka praise.

" _Camilla might have won safety for her team, but guess what? So did I! Can't believe I had to sprain my ankle in order to do it, but that was an accident. We might've gotten lucky, but I don't care. I promise you I'll win 1st place for Team Garu next time!" -Hinoka_

As Team Garu went back, Flash folded his arms but was still happy. "Team Agi, can't say the same for you guys. You've got till sundown to decide who is going to be the second person kicked out of the party. See ya then." With that, Team Agi headed on back to the fortress to prepare for the vote.

" _And so we've lost today. I hope that I can live to fight another day, for if I go out this early, Xander's victory may seem hollow to him. As his equal, I cannot allow that to happen." -Ryoma_

* * *

Back at the fortress, the six members of Team Agi split off to discuss the vote with one another and plot by themselves.

As Ryoma was speaking with Oboro about what to do tonight, Elise approached them.

"Hey guys," Elise said, waving. "You two want to be safe tonight?"

"What do you want?" Oboro raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

" _Initially I was all for voting out Peri tonight because she gives me the creeps, Elise approaches us with an offer that might be the thing that saves me and Lord Ryoma from getting the axe. Odd." -Oboro_

"Vote with me and together we can take out Niles," Elise explained. "Yesterday he stole my coin purse, and I want payback."

"So if we vote Niles, we'll be safe?" Ryoma asked for confirmation, and Elise nodded yes. "But I don't see how you'll persuade Xander. This is your brother Leo's retainer you want out."

"Leo's a smart guy. He doesn't need some silly advantage to get ahead." Elise folded his arms, then had a smile on her face. "So would you please vote with me? _Pleaseeeeeee…?"_

"We'll consider it," Oboro said, motioning for her to go away. As Elise left, Oboro turned to Ryoma. "Lord Ryoma, this has to be a trap."

"Why would you say that?" Ryoma was curious as to why Oboro was so paranoid.

"Think about it. It's obvious she's aligned with her brother. If she goes to Lord Xander, then the plan she just gave us would've been to give us false hope," Oboro explained. "I wouldn't put it above her."

"Oboro, this is Elise we're talking about here. She's just as sweet as Sakura." Ryoma defended.

" _I don't understand why Oboro is so paranoid about Elise giving us an opportunity to stay in the game. We're outnumbered four to two, so I'll gladly take the ability to fight another day over the possibility of being eliminated." -Ryoma_

"Think of it this way," Ryoma continued. "Should we go along with Elise's plan, worst case scenario is we tie should they all vote together, and best case scenario is the two of us survive."

"Oh, alright." Oboro rolled her eyes. "But I'm still suspicious of her. She might look cute...and admittedly be very stylish, but I bet Lord Leo rubbed off on her."

"Thank you." Ryoma then went off to prepare for the vote.

Elsewhere, Peri and Niles were talking about other things. More like Peri approached him first.

"Ooh, it's Niles! I heard you can make anyone feel bad using only words. I wanna hear it for myself. Do me! Do me!" Peri squealed.

Niles let out a sigh. "How unfortunate that this is what my reputation has become. I'm sorry, Peri, but I don't take requests like that."

"Huh? Why not?" Peri tilted her head to the right slightly in confusion, staring at Niles.

"Because I only insult people who deserve it. If you do something to deserve my scorn, you'll get an earful. Don't worry about that." Niles explained. "Although...I might be willing to make an exception."

"Tell me how," Peri requested.

"First off, who do you want out tonight?" Niles asked.

"Oboro. She's been nothing but mean to me ever since we got put on the same team," Peri answered.

"No points for guessing why…" Niles muttered under his breath. Then in a normal voice. "Tell you what. Vote for Oboro, and if we both make it out alive tonight we can continue this conversation."

"Got it!" Peri giggled, then skipped off.

" _Peri might secure me safety tonight, and not to mention she'd blindly follow Lord Xander off a cliff. If anything, I bet you one million gold that she's not going to be the final one. Mark my words." -Niles_

Meanwhile, Xander was alone in his room. He had heard both from Elise and Peri on the plans for voting tonight, and he had a very tough decision ahead of him.

" _Tonight, I am the man of the hour. I have to choose between siding with my loyal retainer, Peri and vote Oboro, or side with my dear sister Elise and vote Niles. It's not an easy choice to make but...I hope the move I'm making is the right one." -Xander_

* * *

Once the sun set, the six members of Team Agi went down into the basement and got seated. Flash was on the screen once again.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to your first elimination ceremony. Before we begin, I'd like to start a little small talk. Ryoma. What do you think attributed to today's loss?" Flash opened up the ceremony.

"I believe we weren't as aggressive as we were yesterday, and we paid the price for it today," Ryoma answered. "After this vote, hopefully we can get our act together and not come back down here again."

"Elise, is there anyone in particular that you would like to see be voted out tonight?" Flash asked.

"Yeah. Niles! You team-hurting thief!" Elise exclaimed.

"I can explain," Niles groaned.

"Do it." Elise was standing as she said that.

"I originally intended to steal from the other team to hinder them and help us," Niles explained. "I didn't even have any time to check whose purse it was. I merely assumed it was someone else's."

"Keep digging yourself deeper, buddy," Oboro jeered.

"I'll pay you back after the game is over, but you're making a big deal over nothing Elise," Niles defended. "If it weren't for me, we wouldn't have been safe from elimination yesterday. I got us two Stars, how many did you get?"

"One…" Elise frowned.

"Exactly. And when we went to the roulette in the middle of that casino, you were nowhere to be found until you got there, with your sister," Niles continued. "Now it's your turn to explain yourself."

Elise sat back down, eyes going wide. "Um...well, I saw this gambling table, and I got really curious so I went to see what it was all about. I helped in that challenge too, Niles! I swear I did it for the good of the team! Cross my heart!"

"Xander. What do you make of this?" Flash questioned.

"Yesterday's events are going to be a huge deciding factor in tonight's vote. While I don't doubt Elise had our best intentions at heart, she is behaving strangely," Xander answered.

"But Xander, I would never lie to you. Name one time that I lied to you." Elise responded. Xander fell silent.

"Niles, what about you?" Flash inquired.

"I feel like Elise is clearly hiding something from us," Niles grinned. "And it makes me think that she's got a dangerous leg up on us."

"Oboro, does this change anything?" Flash had to ask.

"It is food for thought," Oboro stated. "As Lord Xander said, her behavior is certainly suspicious." As Oboro was speaking, Niles nudged Peri and whispered 'Change of plans, vote Elise', to which she nodded.

"Okay, this has been a very diabolical turn of events. Will it change plans? Might as well vote to get things over with. Ryoma, you're up." Flash said. Ryoma went to cast his vote.

At the outdoor stage, Azura was present in the same attire, a larger audience present as they let out a cheer. "Hello everyone," Azura greeted. "Welcome to tonight's elimination ceremony. We just witnessed a very intense discussion, and now it seems that Elise might be in the hot seat tonight." The monitor showed Ryoma walking to the voting room. "Ryoma is in an interesting position tonight. Will he accept Elise's offer after what went down tonight, or will his mind change?"

Once Ryoma sat down, he was greeted by Flash. "Hello Ryoma! Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"That argument got my attention, but my vote is this same - Niles." Ryoma said.

"Thanks man, head on back." Ryoma left the room and passed by Peri.

"Peri is voting with Niles so she can be 'scorned'...Hotoke knows why, but her vote should be obvious." Azura commented.

"Hello Peri!" Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"I vote to eliminate Elise. Sorry Lord Xander," Peri voted.

"Thanks girl, you can go back now." Peri left the room and passed by Niles.

"Niles revealed that he wasn't the only one who deviated from the pack at Goomba's Greedy Gala. Will his gambit pay off?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Niles! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"Simple. Elise. She's been shady," Niles voted.

"Thanks man, head on back now." Niles left and passed by Oboro on the way in.

"Oboro doesn't trust Elise, but will she join Ryoma in voting Niles? Let's see how this goes," Azura mused.

"Hello Oboro! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash greeted.

"Well, I'm a bit skeptical but...I vote to eliminate Niles." Oboro voted.

"Thanks lady, you can go back now." Oboro left, passing Elise in the hall.

"Elise and her game was put under scrutiny by Niles. Can she survive tonight's vote?" Azura asked no one in particular.

"Hello Elise! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash waved.

"I happily vote to eliminate Niles." Elise voted.

"Thanks Elise, you can go back now." Elise left, passing Xander in the hall.

"Xander has said he is the man of the hour tonight. His vote should be interesting." Azura commented.

"Hello Xander! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash greeted.

"Well, after considering what I can do...I'd rather keep Elise around to learn what she's hiding. With that being said, I vote to eliminate Niles. I hope Leo can understand." Xander spoke.

"Thanks man, head on back now." With that, Xander headed on back.

"Well, with Xander's vote, Niles' fate has been sealed," Azura said. "Let's go back to Flash for him to reveal the results."

"Alright Team Agi. The votes are in. Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe, meaning they had no votes against them." Flash began. "The people that are safe are...Peri, Oboro, Ryoma, and Xander."

Ryoma looked to Oboro with a soft smile, and Oboro softly said, "I was wrong." Elise grew worried.

"Elise, Niles? As for you two? By a vote, of 4 to 2...Niles, you have been eliminated from Fates Party." Flash announced.

"Ugh, shoulda seen this coming." Niles shook his head. As he went to leave, Peri stopped him.

"Wait! There was something else I wanted to ask you!" She exclaimed.

"What is it?" Niles turned around, one foot on the first staircase out.

"Did you ever break into my house when I was a kid?" Peri suddenly asked.

"How in the world would I know? I broke into a lot of houses." Niles answered.

"Well...I lived in a really big mansion. It was kind of hard to miss. And my parents told me that someone broke in once! So I was wondering if it might have been you." Peri continued.

"Hold on...The mansion you grew up in - was it a nobleman's home? And was it on the corner of a main street, with a prominent blue tile roof?" Niles inquired.

"Yup, that's the one! Why?" Peri was curious.

"Just checking," Niles responded, heading out for good this time. He was greeted by applause and sat down with Azura.

"So good to see you again, Niles," Azura greeted. "Are you surprised to be voted out this early?"

"Eh, not really," Niles said. "I had a feeling once Elise found out I took her money she'd want me out."

"What do you think about Elise as a player?" Azura wondered.

"Immature, but she has a lot of pull with our fellow countrymen." Niles stated. "I think her chances are good, but her overreliance on others will be her downfall."

"Before you left, you were telling Peri you broke into her house once before," Azura added. "Would you care to finish the story?"

"Might as well." Niles shrugged. "See, my 'friends' and I were looking for a special item in particular. Something money couldn't buy. It was a doll, but not just any old doll. It was supposed to be an evil murder doll! Rumor was that her family kept a possessed doll under lock and key. Supposedly, this doll would come to life and eviscerate one's enemies. Me and my...associates...thought it would be a fun toy. However, we found it was just a tall tale. We poked around the house, tipped over a few priceless vases, and left empty handed."

"Fascinating story," Azura mused. "Any idea who might have been this 'murder doll', if at all?"

"Don't know. Haven't had much time to think on it." Niles shook his head.

"Well, with where you'll be staying you'll have plenty of time to think on that. Thank you for playing Niles." Azura commented. Niles was met with another round of applause as he left the stage, going towards the loser's house. When he entered the foyer, Azama was sitting on one of the couches, seemingly waiting for him.

"Hello, Niles. Were you robbed of winning tonight?" Azama asked with a smile.

"Ah...forget it." Niles shrugged it off and went to get settled in.

(Well, this took a while. I don't know when I'll have this up on DA but, I will. So Bowser will be appearing to try and muck up our fun!...Keyword being try. As for the hints to the next board we'll be going to, I'll bold them from hereon out.

Next time we're gonna jam out to **a popular Guns 'n Roses song** and see if Team Agi can get their act together. See you then.)


	5. Episode 4: Welcome To The Jungle

(So here we are, onto our fourth episode of this. To anyone who would nitpick and say that Team Bufu had twenty-five coins yesterday, please don't. I make mistakes, and math is NOT my strong suit by a long shot. Like, I have to keep using a calculator to find out what seven plus nine is.

Additionally, I was originally gonna have the title of last episode reference the song Kung Fu Fighting, but I felt that was a bit too stereotypical. So I went with a Trauma Team reference - Tomoe Tachibana has to be my favorite character of them all. Hey Bowser! Never challenge her to a fight! You'll get your ass kicked in every direction that isn't east.

...At least she'll nurse you back to health once she's done...enough rambling from me.

Let's get crackin', shall we?)

 **Episode 4: Welcome To The Jungle**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _Again, nothing really interesting happened in the base conversations other than Elise wanting Niles out._

 _The latest challenge was a race up Pagoda Peak, and all the while the players were to collect coins along the way._

 _All was going well until Bowser decided to crash the party - literally. He broke one of the bridges leading to the top, but thanks to Leo's quick thinking and Rinkah's strength, everyone was able to get across._

 _Kagero, Camilla, and Xander fought Puppet Dragon at the end, with Camilla being able to get the win for Team Bufu. Hinoka got two of the three Bonus Stars for Team Garu, saving them from the block, and sending Team Agi there._

 _Before the vote, Elise lobbied with Ryoma and Oboro to vote out Niles, and Niles aligned with Peri for the vote. At the vote, Niles attempted to throw Elise under the bus by pointing out he wasn't the only one who left the team at Goomba's Greedy Gala._

 _Despite the tactic, Niles was still voted out by a 4-2 decision. 16 are left. Who will be voted out next?...I'm not telling you guys that. You'll have to read and find out._

 **Team Garu: Effie, Beruka, Hinoka, Kagero, Sakura, Subaki**

 **Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton**

 **Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma, Oboro**

* * *

As Team Agi went back to their rooms, Xander approached Elise in the latter's room. "Now, what was Niles going on about you having a leg up?"

Elise, realizing she was caught, let out a sigh. She fessed up about the Hint Giver and how she led her to getting a Star.

" _Elise gave me some very useful information tonight. This Hint Giver is likely going to give a massive advantage to the team that finds her, so I'll keep my eyes peeled." -Xander_

"Promise me you won't tell anyone?" Elise requested.

"Of course. But don't go running off like that again," Xander responded. "You worried me."

"Promise." Elise nodded.

* * *

With Team Garu, Hinoka was resting her ankle on a firm pillow, Sakura watching over her. Beruka and Effie were conversing with each other.

"You do realize your hunger pains are going to make you seem like a liability?" Beruka asked.

"I can't help it," Effie apologized. "I use up a lot of calories to be strong."

"Right, well eventually the other four would be willing to overlook that," Beruka mentioned.

" _Since Effie and I are on the bottom, we have to look out for each other. I don't know how I'm going to get her in gear, but maybe if I mention Lady Elise she'll try harder." -Beruka_

"Y'know, if you get voted out now you won't be able to help Lady Elise in the merge," The former assassin casually mentioned.

"What? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Effie did a double take. "I'll work my hardest tomorrow!" She then went off to take a power sleep in preparation for the challenge tomorrow.

"Just like that?" Hinoka asked, having listened to the whole thing.

"Just like that." Beruka nodded, a faint smirk on her face.

* * *

Meanwhile with Team Bufu, Camilla was still looking over the shirt when Takumi entered her room. On the back of said shirt it read 'I Climbed The Mountain!' in bold letters.

"Hey, Camilla…" He greeted.

"Oh? What do you need, Takumi?" Camilla wondered. "Something's on your mind." She grabbed a pillow and put it on her lap. "Here, take a seat."

"No, that won't be needed…" Takumi responded, but Camilla grabbed him by the arm, sitting him down.

"Clearly something's bothering you," Camilla pointed out. "And I want to help you."

"This isn't the right time...what if people get the wrong idea about us?" Takumi started feeling uncomfortable. "But...if you insist...I don't feel like I'm that much help to the team."

"Nonsense." Camilla smiled. "Everyone on this team is useful."

" _Oh, silly Takumi. He is too useful without that special bow of his. At this rate however he might need that crutch...so, being the good team player I am, I might as well give him a push in the right direction." -Camilla_

"You really think so? But…" Before he could finish, Takumi found his head resting in a place close to Camilla's heart.

"No no. Don't finish that," Camilla whispered. "You'll be useful tomorrow. I can feel it."

"I was...actually also gonna ask to align with you...to keep myself safe…" Takumi added. His face was red as a tomato.

"Alright," Camilla released him from her grip. "If that's all you needed, then I'll be off to bed. See you in the morning."

Takumi left, not needing to be told twice.

" _That was...the most awkward thing I've ever experienced in my entire life. But, while I was being partially suffocated, Camilla was right. I'll need to try my hardest to avoid being seen as the weakest link." -Takumi_

* * *

The next day, everyone met outside so they could get today's challenge over with. Flash was in a strange attire today, as he was cosplaying as the lead guitarist of Guns n' Roses, Slash.

"Team Bufu, Team Garu, getting your first look at the new Team Agi. Niles voted out at the last Elimination Ceremony," Flash said.

Leo frowned. "Should've seen this coming," He groaned. "No matter."

"Anyway, let's not having any waxing poetical crap about last night. Let's get on with it!" Flash darted through the Dragon's Gate, the remaining players following after him.

When they would reach the other side, they found themselves in a large jungle area. Flash was waiting for them, and standing next to him was a Koopa Troopa holding a white pennant with a star on it.

"Welcome, everybody!" The Koopa greeted. "I am the guide here, Koopa Troopa. Here in the jungle stand these mysterious ruins. Rumor has it that a great treasure is hidden here. If you look for this treasure, surely one of you will find it."

"And that is today's challenge," Flash said. "For today's challenge, there's three pieces of a keystone that you guys will need to get into the treasure. Each team has one, and they're all the same shape, just color coded for the sake of convenience. Once you find all three parts of the keystone, all you have to do is find the treasure. First team to find all three parts of their keystone and get to the treasure not only wins immunity, but gets to keep whatever is in there! Sound like fun?"

Everyone, save for a select few, were excited at the prospect of treasure.

" _Today's arena was a big jungle, and I for one am excited about the prospect of treasure! You never know what could be inside there, so we've got to win. The contents might be enough to put a smile on Lady Sakura's face; I would love for that to happen." -Subaki_

"Alright then, get to it! The keystones aren't going to find themselves." Flash sent the players off to search, just as Koopa was about to say something.

"...Think they'll find out about the traps in this jungle?" Koopa asked Flash.

"In due time, my friend," Flash responded. "In due time."

* * *

Team Garu headed north, passing by a Whomp who moved in the way of the path they just took. Kagero noted this.

"Why do they do that?" She wondered.

"Got me. It'll keep the others away!" Hinoka responded. Sakura just continued on, Subaki sticking close to her.

"S-Subaki…? What if...what if we can't find any keystone parts?" Sakura asked.

"Come now, Lady Sakura. Chin up," Subaki reassured. "I'm perfectly positive your smile will guide us to victory today."

Sakura had a soft smile as a result from that, where as everyone else was waiting for them so they could get a move on, which they did.

* * *

As with Team Bufu, they ran into the Whomp that Team Garu passed.

"Want to pay ten coins to pass?" It asked.

"I'm afraid we don't," Camilla quickly said.

"Then take a hike!" The Whomp yelled.

"Uh, sister? Why are you saying no?" Leo wondered. Then he remembered something. "Ah, yes…"

"Exactly. Follow me everyone." Camilla motioned for her teammates to follow her as they passed through the surrounding trees and greens.

" _When I was younger, I used to play in the Woods of the Forlorn. Ah, memories...regardless, I'm quite skilled with navigating areas like this. All the more reason to keep me on this team." -Camilla_

The Whomp saw what they did, getting angry. "Hey! Get back here!" It tried to chase after them, but they were long gone.

"Y'know, I could've done that," Takumi added. "I'm good with hunting, so traversing these areas should come natural to me."

"If you say so." Rinkah shrugged.

"Takumi, you can take point then," Leo stated.

" _This is my chance to prove that I'm not dead weight on this team. If I can secure us safety, they'll have to keep me on the team. I don't need the Fujin Yumi to help us win! Let's go!" -Takumi_

* * *

Elsewhere with Team Agi, they were busy searching around for anything that roughly resembled a keystone.

"See anything that's like a keystone yet, Peri?" Xander called.

"Nope!" Peri called back. "I'll keep looking." What she was really doing was taking a long stick and sharpening one of the ends.

" _We're in a jungle, so there's probably a lot of hostile wildlife that might try to attack us. So, I'm making us a spear just to be on the safe side." -Peri_

Oboro in the meantime, was doing the same thing with Ryoma. "So you think we should try to eliminate Peri?" She asked.

"That depends," Ryoma said. "We should wait until after the challenge." He went back to searching, leaving Oboro to do the same thing.

* * *

Back with Team Garu, they continued their search when Kagero motioned for everyone to stop.

"Is everything alright?" Effie wondered.

"No…" Beruka answered, getting the same sense that Kagero was getting. Suddenly, a rumbling noise was heard from behind them. When they all turned around, a large boulder was seen rolling towards them!

"Eek!" Sakura shrieked. As everyone else went to move out of the way, Effie stood her ground.

"Effie, what are you doing? Get out of the way!" Hinoka yelled.

"I'll handle this!" Effie bellowed. "I'll be your shield!" When the boulder got close, Effie hunkered down and braced for impact. Acting quickly, she thrust her arms out as the boulder kept moving, pushing her back.

But amazingly, it only went two feet further before it stopped entirely. The other five team members were absolutely stunned by this display of strength.

" _*as she is munching on fruit* So like, I had a really big breakfast this morning to get all the energy I need to last me this whole challenge. It was bigger than my usual meals, and that's saying something." -Effie_

"Alright! Who did this?" Effie bellowed, pushing the boulder aside.

"Oh crap! She's onto us!" A voice exclaimed.

"Run for your lives!" Another chimed. "She's not human!" Two red shelled Koopas began running away, prompting Effie to give chase.

"Get back here, you cowards!" She shouted.

"...Well, that was a thing." Kagero deadpanned. On a hunch, Beruka went up the slope the boulder came down to investigate. She then found a basket with three...things wrapped in cloth - one green, one blue, and one red, each with a note tied onto said cloth. A sign above it said 'Take the one colored to your team.' Beruka did so, unwrapping it to find a stone triangle.

"This must be it…" Beruka read the note. "'Congratulations, you have found one of the three keystone pieces required to unlock the treasure of the jungle. As for a hint to where the treasure is, look for a star shaped keyhole.' Interesting…" She slid back down the slope to share the news with the rest of her team...minus Effie, of course.

 **Score**

Garu: 1 of 3

Bufu: 0 of 3

Agi: 0 of 3

* * *

Back with Team Bufu, they were still traversing the jungle when they stumbled across a barrel...just sitting out in the middle of nowhere.

"Why is this barrel just out here?" Takumi wondered. "Hang on…" He went to go see what was in it. As he tried to get it open, he started straining. "Hnggggggg!" After about twenty seconds of trying to get it open with no success, Rinkah went over to him.

"Need a hand?" Rinkah offered.

"Yeah...that'd be nice," Takumi answered, wiping sweat from his brow. With Rinkah's help, Takumi was able to open the barrel, but everyone noticed something written in white paint on the bottom of the lid.

"'Take the one colored to your team?'" Leo read. "Wait a minute…" Everyone darted to the barrel as Takumi pulled out something wrapped in blue cloth with a note attached.

"This has gotta be it!" Takumi exclaimed, unwrapping it to reveal it was indeed one of the keystone pieces they needed. He read the note to make sure. "'Congratulations, you have found one of the three keystone pieces required to unlock the treasure of the jungle.' Yes!"

" _On a mere hunch we got this barrel open, because stuff like this out in the open is worth mention, and as luck would have it, we found a piece of the keystone!" -Takumi_

"'As for a hint as to where the treasure is,'" Leo continued. "'Look for an area littered with traps.'" Everyone exchanged glances at the last bit of the note.

"I have a feeling that Beruka will do just fine on that part," Camilla informed.

"Wouldn't surprise me…" Keaton trailed off when his ears perked up. "Huh? Hang on guys…"

"What is it, Keaton?" Takumi asked.

"I'll..uh…I'll be right back. I think I know where another keystone is!" Keaton the darted off before anyone could stop him.

"...Alright, who wants to go get him back?" Camilla asked. The other three looked to Rinkah.

"...Fine, I'll go." Rinkah then went in the direction that Keaton went.

 **Score**

Garu: 1 of 3

Bufu: 1 of 3

Agi: 0 of 3

* * *

Out in the middle of the jungle, Keaton would soon spy Bowser. Curious as to what he was doing here, he stepped out of the treeline to see what was up.

"Hey, you're that blowhard from yesterday!" Keaton said. "What're you doing out here?"

"Huh? BLOWHARD!?" Bowser roared. "I told you, I'm the King of Awesome, Bowser!"

"Yeah whatever." Keaton didn't care. "Hey, you see any keystones around here? I'm kinda looking for treasure."

"Treasure huh?" Bowser lit up and sported a wicked grin. "You're looking for treasure? Then let me give you this…" He held a small, gold-plated statue of himself that looked a bit deformed. Keaton's tail started wagging. "This is a mystical secret! The Gold-Plated Bowser Statue! I'll give you this for just ten coins."

"It's a deal!" Keaton immediately exclaimed, handing Bowser ten coins and taking the statue.

" _So, Bowser just gave me this really cool statue, and the best part is it'll fit right in with the rest of my collection. Maybe this guy isn't so bad after all!" -Keaton_

Rinkah stayed hidden, but facepalmed upon seeing the transaction. As Keaton went on his merry way, Bowser chuckled.

"Hope he doesn't mind that it's completely worthless. Bwahahahahaha!" He then went on his merry way.

"Fie upon you, Bowser…" Rinkah growled. "Next time we meet, I'll show you the might of the Flame Tribe…"

* * *

Back with Team Agi, Elise was getting fed up with coming up empty handed.

"Agh! Where the heck are these keystones?" She exclaimed. Suddenly, screams of terror were heard as the two red shelled Koopas ran past her, Effie still chasing them down. Ryoma took notice.

"Why are those things running from Effie?" Ryoma wondered.

"A better question would be...why is Effie chasing them?" Elise responded. Both of them looked at one another, rushing the opposite direction that Effie was running. They ran into the Whomp who demanded a ten coin fee, but Ryoma kicked it with enough force to knock it flat on its back.

"Out of our way!" Ryoma barked as he kicked.

"Hey! This isn't how it's supposed to work!" The Whomp exclaimed.

"Too bad, we're in a hurry." Elise stuck her tongue out at the fallen creature as she ran after Ryoma. Whomp helplessly flailed in anger as they ran off. They soon encountered the slope that the boulder went down, heading up it and finding their keystone piece.

" _Ryoma is a really cool guy when you think about it. Firm and fair, but he always seems like he can never relax. But he's my teammate, so I might as well try to get closer with everyone else." -Elise_

"I only see the one for the blue team...that must mean Hinoka and her team got the piece here already," Ryoma deduced.

"We better hurry!" Elise exclaimed.

 **Score**

Garu: 1 of 3

Bufu: 1 of 3

Agi: 1 of 3

* * *

With the other three members of Team Agi, Oboro found the stick that Peri sharpened. "Hey, why do you have that?" Oboro asked.

"Oh, just in case," Peri hummed.

"...Right…" Oboro rolled her eyes in disgust.

" _So this is what Peri has been up to this whole time? I don't know what her liege sees in her! She hasn't been helping us at all today, where I've actually been putting in an honest effort." -Oboro_

"Hey, what's your problem?" Peri then asked. "Sad we lost yesterday?"

"No, I'm only unhappy because you're goofing off and living up to your reputation," Oboro responded. "Now get to actually helping us."

"...Fine." Peri started pouting as Oboro walked away.

"Typical Nohrian…" Oboro muttered under her breath.

* * *

"Hey guys, do you hear something?" Beruka asked.

"No…" Sakura admitted. Beruka asked for silence among the others, when suddenly a very airheaded voice made itself faintly known.

"Lady Hinoka...where are you…?" It said.

"Wait a second…" Hinoka ran to the source of the voice and found it was coming from a pit. Looking down, she spotted a very familiar teal-haired archer. "SETSUNA!?"

Setsuna looked up, now having a smile. "Ah. There you are, Lady Hinoka."

"What in the name of Hotoke are you doing here!?" Hinoka demanded an answer. "You've been missing for four days now!"

"Well...I was just scouting around like usual...then I saw the Dragon Gate...I went in after seeing this weird, green skinned...something walk out…" Setsuna spoke.

 _Flashback…_

 _Four days ago, Setsuna was merely walking around the area of the Dragon's Gate. Lazily, she spotted a green Kritter out of the corner of her eye walk out, then back in. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on, so she went on through to see what was going on._

 _When she arrived at the jungle, Setsuna leisurely walked along to spy a group of Kritters of various skin colors - green, red, blue, and brown - talking amongst themselves._

" _Uh...excuse me." Setsuna waved to them. All the Kritters stopped and turned to the woman, at first unsure of what to do._

" _What the-? Who are you?" One Kritter demanded._

" _I'm Setsuna, from Hoshido," Setsuna answered. "I'm good with...a bow. More importantly...who are you?"_

" _None of your business, lady!" Another Kritter hissed. "We're on business from King K. Rool to find Donkey Kong's golden bananas!"_

" _Oh...okay…" Setsuna said. "Why?"_

" _Does it matter? Hey, wait a minute…" The first Kritter realized something. "You think that Hoshido place might want her back?"_

 _Setsuna suddenly perked up at that last bit. She was probably assuming here, but her guess was they were going to ransom her for golden bananas. Oh hell no. Not today._

 _Quickly, Setsuna drew an arrow from her quiver and began firing at the Kritters, hitting them with terrifyingly good accuracy. They all tried to stop her, but she went suddenly from that airheaded demeanor to a more focused one._

 _When the dust settled, all but one Kritter was unhurt. Setsuna went for another arrow, but that Kritter ran._

" _Hey...wait…" Setsuna returned to her usual mood, following after the Kritter._

 _End Flashback…_

"...And that's what happened." Setsuna finished. "I fell in this pit as I was following that last guy, but I knew you would come save me." She glanced down. "Oh yeah, there's something else down here...three somethings, actually…"

"Hang on, we'll get you out of there!" Hinoka said. "Shoot up one of your arrows!" Setsuna did as she was told, Kagero catching the arrow.

"I'll find us something to use as rope," Kagero told the others, ninjaing away to do that. She would shortly return with a length of vine, long enough for Setsuna to grab a hold on.

"Okay, Setsuna, we need you to bring up those three somethings for us, okay?" Hinoka ordered.

"Sure, Lady Hinoka," Setsuna replied, doing just that. Everyone, even Sakura, began pulling Setsuna up. The three somethings were wrapped in different colored cloth, and they automatically knew what it was.

"Lemme see that green one!" Hinoka quickly said. Setsuna lazily handed it over, prompting Hinoka to open it and reveal their second keystone piece. "Yes! You're the best, Setsuna!" She read the note, but found that the hint was all smudged.

" _Well, this was a treat. I guess Reina will have to be told that she can stop looking for Setsuna now...see, she might seem lethargic and everything, but Setsuna is always on when it counts." -Hinoka_

"Oh yeah...I think I remember that one guy running...that way…" Setsuna pointed west. "I'd help...but I'm parched…" She sat down, laying on her back.

"How'd you survive four days down there?" Subaki wanted to know.

"My belief...that Lady Hinoka would come save me." Setsuna answered. Subaki brought her into the shade.

"I'm sure Flash knows that you're here," Subaki said. "Just stay here, alright?"

"Sure thing…" Setsuna nodded.

 **Score**

Garu: 2 of 3

Bufu: 1 of 3

Agi: 1 of 3

* * *

Effie eventually caught the two red Koopas, who were hiding in their shells, shaking in fear.

"G-Go away!" One squeaked.

"Not until you tell me what you were doing pushing boulders. Someone could've gotten seriously hurt!" Effie demanded an answer.

"Lord Bowser ordered us to stop the partygoers!" The second Koopa fessed up. "He thinks if we scare them like this they won't wanna party anymore!"

"That Bowser...if he thinks of harming Lady Elise, oh he'll have another thing coming!" Effie grabbed the two Koopas and smashed their heads together, knocking them out.

" _The more we're here, the more I'm hating this Bowser guy. So what if he's the king? That won't stop me from doing my job! Now to go catch up with my team…" -Effie_

* * *

Team Bufu spied Elise and Ryoma leaving the slope.

"What were they doing up there?" Leo wondered.

"Something important," Camilla guessed, going to check out what was up there. She came back with Bufu's keystone piece. After reading the note, Takumi decided to look at the keystone pieces they had collected so far.

"Huh...it does look like a Star! It's just missing two of the points and the center," He said. "Now...where the heck are Rinkah and Keaton?"

Speaking of Rinkah and Keaton, they would stumble across Setsuna sitting in the shade, staring blankly at the sky.

"Setsuna…? What are you doing here?" Rinkah asked.

"Oh...hey guys." Setsuna greeted. She gave them the laconic version of how she got there. Keaton eyed the other two keystone pieces wrapped up.

"Say, do you mind if we take that blue thing off your hands?" Keaton asked.

"Huh?" Setsuna looked at it. "...Okay." She handed it over without any real hesitation.

"Thanks!" Keaton smiled. "Now let's go find the others!" The two then went back to the other members of their team. However, someone was watching them from the shadows. It was Kagero!

"I see…" Silently, she began following the two back to where they were going.

" _We are going to win this challenge, even if I have to do sneaky tactics like this. I'm a ninja. It's part of my job to follow persons of interest. They never see me coming…wait, why am I feeling like that's from somewhere?" -Kagero_

 **Score**

Garu: 2 of 3

Bufu: 3 of 3

Agi: 1 of 3

* * *

"There you guys are!" Leo exclaimed. "Where did you dart off to, Keaton?"

"Guys, check it out!" Keaton showed them the statue he got from Bowser. "Think this is the treasure that we're supposed to be looking for?"

"...No." Rinkah bluntly told him.

"Aw…" Keaton hung his head.

"Well, I suppose we have all the keystone pieces ne- oh?" Camilla noticed foliage rustling near the barrel, slowly going over to see who it was. When she saw a hand reach for the barrel, she grabbed onto it, pulling Kagero out in the open.

"Hello there…" Kagero grit her teeth.

"Wait, was she following us?" Keaton blinked.

Leo sarcastically gasped. "No…"

It was then Kagero and Camilla got into a little scuffle with each other, with Kagero trying to break herself free of Camilla's grip, which turned into a full blown match of grappling between the two. No one bothered to try and separate them.

" _I can't believe Kagero would follow us like that...but it's fine. We already got all our keystone pieces, so we really need to get a move on to where the treasure is!" -Rinkah_

Eventually, Kagero pressed down on a pressure point on Camilla's shoulder, forcing the Nohrian to let her go. Kagero jumped for the barrel, grabbing the keystone piece wrapped in green before darting off.

"I'll pay her back for that…" Camilla hissed, rubbing her shoulder in pain.

"What are we waiting for? After her!" Keaton yelled, the team chasing after her.

Kagero got back to the rest of Team Garu, at the same time that Effie did. They saw that Leo and the others of Team Bufu were chasing after them, so they followed Setsuna's advice and headed west, unaware they were leading their opponents somewhere pivotal…

 **Score**

Garu: 3 of 3

Bufu: 3 of 3

Agi: 1 of 3

* * *

"We need to hurry up," Ryoma determined.

"Well, we've searched everywhere!" Peri complained. "And we couldn't find anything…"

"Don't feel too down, Peri," Xander reassured. "You're doing fine."

"Fine? She's been making a spear this whole time," Oboro brought up. "How is that helping?"

"But...Lord Xander...I wanna stab! I wanna maim! Please lemme cut something!" Peri whined.

"I'll give you something to cut...start cutting the foliage in our way! We'll find these keystones!" Xander ordered. Peri's eyes lit up.

"I thought you'd never give the order!" She squeed with delight, cutting at various plants as their search gradually sped up.

"Good thinking, Xander." Ryoma smiled with approval.

" _If you want Peri to do something without having any lives being taken, appeal to her tastes in a way that gets her excited and productive. It's how I've managed to keep her in line all these years." -Xander_

* * *

By the time Team Garu and Team Bufu arrived at where Setsuna said that the Kritter went, they would fine a few Kritters struggling with dealing with the various traps as a large, green lizard with Ancient Egyptian style collar and loincloth like a pharaoh, with a yellow crown on his head.

"Come on, Kritters! The treasure those dirty apes have been hiding will be ours!" The large lizard bellowed.

"We're trying, King K. Rool!" A blue Kritter called back. "We're trying not to set off any traps!"

"Hey!" Rinkah shouted. "You're talking about OUR treasure!"

"No, it's our treasure!" Subaki shot back. "We will be getting that treasure for Lady Sakura, and victory!"

K. Rool turned around to see the two teams. "And what do we have here? Trying to steal our treasure? We were here first!"

"Guess we'll have to do this the hard way…" Leo sighed.

"Hard way? That's cute," K. Rool chuckled. "You fools know who I am, don't you?"

"Don't know, don't care," Beruka coldly responded.

"I'm King K. Rool, leader of these here Kritters! You think to oppose my glorious girth? Graw haw haw! I love it! Y'all deserve a kingly beating! Come on! Come at me!" K. Rool challenged.

"Yeah! Tear 'em up, King K. Rool!" A green Kritter cheered.

"Ha! Fools? Just who the hell do you think we are? I'm not scared of you!" Hinoka stepped forward.

"Lemme help!" Effie volunteered. "I'll crush him!"

"I can tell I won't need Brynhildr to defeat you." Leo grinned as he stepped forward as well.

"Yeah, and I don't need a Beaststone to beat you either!" Keaton tossed the statue he got to Rinkah. "Hey, hold this for me, would you?" She caught it, as the four got ready for battle.

"Hope you've said your good-byes, fools!" K. Rool also got ready for battle. "I'm not gonna do this half-way!"

* * *

 **BOSS BATTLE**

Hinoka vs. Effie vs. Leo vs. Keaton vs. King K. Rool

King K. Rool's Gemstone Gauntlet

Players: Hinoka, Effie, Leo, Keaton

Description: The jewel on K. Rool's collar will flash a certain color as gemstones fall around the players. Memorize the color and pelt gemstones of the same color to score!

Hint: Watch out for K. Rool's attacks as you search for the right gemstones - they'll take away from your score and knock you back!

* * *

The four players were in a ruins like arena, K. Rool standing at the northernmost portion of said arena. He let out a cackle as he held a scepter with a light blue diamond on the top.

 **START!**

K. Rool slammed his scepter down on the ground next to him, the jewel on his collar flashing green as rubble began raining down along with various gemstones. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, citrines, and quite a few other colors. Hinoka went to grab an emerald and chucked it right at K. Rool, hitting him squarely. Keaton and Leo got the same idea and threw emeralds as well.

Shaking off the attacks, K. Rool smashed his scepter on the ground in front of him, sending out a shockwave that destroyed the rubble that came down. All four players jumped over said shockwave, and K. Rool sent down another wave of rubble and gemstones, his necklace flashing blue this time.

As the players went to grab sapphires, K. Rool threw his crown at Hinoka with great force. Seeing this, Effie acted as a shield for the blueblood. Said crown harmlessly bounced off of Effie, but said knight let out a grunt as it made contact.

"You okay?" Effie asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you," Hinoka replied, tossing the sapphire she grabbed at K. Rool.

K. Rool sent another shockwave forward, and his crown landed back on his head somehow. This time his necklace flashed orange, and smashed his scepter down twice. More rubble poured down as well as gemstones. The group went for citrines this time, and started pelting K. Rool with them. Eventually, the Kritters leader stood up, stomped his foot several times, and let them know he was getting steamed.

 **Score**

Hinoka: 4

Effie: 2

Leo: 3

Keaton: 3

K. Rool grabbed a blunderbuss and began shooting Kannonballs at the players, all of which rushed out of the way to avoid getting hit, especially since they were about their size.

Eventually, K. Rool smashed his scepter down again, his collar now flashing red. This hinted to the players they needed to throw rubies next, however K. Rool began using his blunderbuss like a vacuum, attempting to pull players close. While keeping their footing, they managed to grab some rubies and hit K. Rool with them.

K. Rool fired another volley of Kannonballs at the group, this time firing some shots up high. Keaton dove out of the way of one Kannonball, and Hinoka worked to nimbly avoid getting crushed.

Yet another wave of rubble and gems came down, this time his necklace flashed blue again. As Keaton and Leo threw sapphires at K. Rool, Hinoka wound up a shot.

"This is it for you!" With a yell, Hinoka threw the sapphire hitting K. Rool squarely in the face, finishing the fight. K. Rool spun around, stumbling before falling flat on his face, defeated.

 **FINISH!**

 **Final Score**

Hinoka: 7 (Plus 3 Final Strike)

Effie: 4

Leo: 6

Keaton: 6

* * *

As the Kritters carried K. Rool off, Hinoka cheered.

"Woo hoo! We did it!" She cheered.

"Indeed you guys did," Flash said, having strode up. "I watched the whole thing, and we have our winner! Hinoka, if you would do the honors?"

"Wait a minute...you mean we won?" Hinoka gasped, then squealed with delight. At this moment, Team Agi finally arrived, having their keystones.

"We missed it?" Peri frowned.

"Sadly." Leo shook his head. With Kagero's help, Hinoka approached the chest, placing the pieces of Team Garu's keystone in the right spots.

"There...we...go!" Hinoka smiled, the chest opening to reveal…

A golden banana bunch. Cue everyone except Flash anime falling.

" _This was it? A bunch of bananas that are colored gold? That's what we ran around the forest for?...Ah, whatever. I still won for our team, so score another one for me!" -Hinoka_

"Yeah, I think DK hid those here...now I know why," Flash admitted. "But anyway Team Garu, you've got yourself safety and a golden banana bunch to do with whatever you want. Enjoy the night off."

With that, Team Garu went back to the fort to enjoy said night off. Koopa caught up at this point.

"Which leaves us with Team Bufu and Team Agi," Koopa said. "What are today's Bonus Stars?"

"Today's Bonus Stars are...the Red Star, the Minus Star, and the Running Star!" Flash announced. "We don't really need the Running Star because it's totally irrelevant. That's because the Red Star and Minus Star go to the exact same team, and that team is...Team Bufu! Congrats, guys!"

"So this statue...it wasn't worthless after all!" Rinkah exclaimed. "Well, I'll be." They headed on back. Xander let out a sigh.

"Team Agi, I wish I could say the same for you, but tonight you'll have to vote someone out. See you then," Flash added. Team Agi went back to the fort in low spirits.

" _I should have told Peri to do what she did earlier...but now, this is our second loss in a row. I don't know what we're going to do now…" -Xander_

* * *

Back at the fort, the five members of Team Agi were in silence.

"How?" Elise asked, after a seemingly long time of silence. "How could we have lost again?"

" _My choice tonight is between voting for Oboro and Peri tonight. They're obviously going to vote against each other, but tonight's it's all on my shoulders...Gods...this sucks. This really does." -Elise_

"I'd rather not...speak about the vote." Ryoma bowed his head in shame. "I'd rather we just get it over with."

" _I know we don't want to talk about the vote, but it's really sad...even for me. Elise and I got that keystone, we worked hard to get those other two, and by the time we found the treasure...we were too late." -Ryoma_

This is how the leadup to the vote would go, with all five members of Team Agi feeling ashamed that all the hard work they put in was all for naught. Was this an omen that they would be reduced to nothing? Only time could answer that for sure.

" _These back to back losses have really taken their toll on us. We thought we could shake off the first loss just fine, but now? I fear this is an omen of what is to come in the near future." -Xander_

And so, the five trudged on down to the basement for the vote to happen.

" _As we're walking down, I can't help but think about my parents. If they could just tell me what to do...other than this hail mary attempt to stay in the game...I don't enjoy doing this, but I have to." -Oboro_

" _Never thought I would see Lord Xander so upset over these losses, because...I'm worried I'll be cast out. I just...I just don't think I could bear that kind of failure. Not even stabbing things would make me feel better…" -Peri_

* * *

They soon arrived in the basement, taking their seats. Flash was still in his Slash cosplay. He noted the mood.

"Why so glum, guys?" Flash asked.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's because we've lost twice in a row," Oboro snapped.

"How do you think you can recover from this, Oboro?" Flash asked.

"I just think, that there's someone who really has been hurting the team a bit and think we'd be better off without them…" Oboro spoke, looking at Peri when she said this.

"Me?" Peri then wondered.

"Yes you! When we were all looking around for the keystone parts, what were you doing? Making a spear!" Oboro raised her voice. "And you only used it when your liege asked you to!"

"I was trying to help…" Peri slightly turned away.

"Trying? Nuh uh, you weren't." Oboro shook her head. "I would just like to say, that Peri is completely unpredictable, unstable, and hasn't done much of anything to help out this team."

"O-Oboro!" Peri exclaimed. "I have too helped! What about the fight against that giant Goomba? What about when I got those coins? Do those not matter?"

"Peri, I took out one of those plants that tried to eat me without needing any weapons like you would've want," Oboro pointed out. "And besides...didn't you kill all those servants of yours?"

The whole room went dead silent as Peri's expression made it seem like she was just stabbed in the gut.

Misty-eyed, Peri spoke up, "O-Oboro...why...why do you hate Nohrians so much?"

"Why? I'll tell you why," Oboro began. "My parents were owners of a kimono shop that had strong connections to the Hoshidan royal family. They were murdered by a Nohrian assassin because of this."

Peri was quiet. "I...I really do feel sorry for you, Oboro, but…"

"But what?" Oboro shot back. "I've seen you gleefully cut people down before! I've seen what your countrymen can do on a bad day…"

"Okay...but…" Peri sniffled, trying to fight back tears. "D-Did you even know me personally?"

"What?" Oboro blinked.

"Y-You're not the only one who lost...parents…" Peri kept fighting back tears. "All this...talk about us Nohrians just being killers...you don't know what we've been through. My mother...when I was really young...one of the servants...cut her down…"

Now it was Oboro's turn to be silent, but Peri was not done.

"I...I can admit, that stabbing things isn't the answer to everything...but you don't get it...you don't know what we've been through!" Peri was suddenly shouting, tears now freely running down her cheeks. "Just because your parents died to one Nohrian, doesn't make the rest of us terrible people by default! Yeah, I know that I'm not a model citizen, and it doesn't make me perfectly innocent, but still! You...you...you don't have the right to judge us, and we don't have the right to judge you! Not even to mention that not every Nohrian is a monster, just look at Lady Elise! She's like...the nicest person I can think of! Her alone can prove my point!"

Ryoma, Xander, and Elise were stunned silent at the sudden argument, and Peri's outburst. Peri then soon plopped back down in her seat, face buried in her hands and bawling.

"...Does anyone want to say anything?" Flash then asked, not sure what to do.

"I too have had my fair share of hardships," Xander confided. "There was the upbringing I've had with my siblings but...I'd rather not talk about it."

Oboro twiddled her thumbs, a sad expression coming onto her face. "Peri...I'm, I'm so sorry."

"Oboro, rest assured all of us here are more than willing to give their condolences for you," Ryoma spoke. "You know you have mine."

"Thanks…" Oboro let out a sigh. "Lord Xander, I'm sorry for what I said. I just…"

"You don't need to apologize for me," Xander responded. "Your remorse is as clear as day."

Peri's crying had finally died down enough for her voice to be heard. "Oboro...I…"

"I know," Oboro softly said. "Please, dry your eyes." She walked over, taking a cloth and wiped the tear stains off Peri's face.

"So...do you guys want to do a verbal vote or would you like to vote like normal?" Flash asked the group.

After a slight bit of debilitation, Team Agi agreed to have a normal vote.

"Alright, let's get this underway. Ryoma, you're up." Flash instructed.

Outside, Azura watched the whole thing unfold from the stage as everyone sympathized with both ladies.

"Well, that was certainly a very, very emotional moment…" Azura said, stunned as well. "Regardless, how will they vote now that this is out of the way?"

Ryoma was walking down the hall on the way to vote.

"Ryoma has been on Oboro's side since they joined this team. His vote should be obvious." Azura commented.

"Hey Ryoma. Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash said.

"I vote to eliminate Peri. My deepest sympathies for her and Oboro both." Ryoma voted.

"Alright, head on back." Ryoma left and passed by Xander in the hall.

"Xander has Peri as his liege, but will tonight's outburst and today's performance in the challenge change his mind?" Azura wondered.

"Hey Xander. Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate Oboro," Xander voted. "I'm sorry for her loss, and I wish her the best."

"Thanks, head on back." Xander left and passed by Oboro in the hall.

"Oboro said that she was hoping to eliminate Peri. After what we just watched, will she stick to her guns?" Azura thought.

"Hey Oboro...you want to vote for Peri, right?" Flash asked.

"Yeah." Oboro nodded. "Sucks what happened to her mother…"

"Okay, head on back." Oboro left and passed Peri in the hall. The two women exchanged glances, but they weren't unfriendly.

"It wouldn't surprise me if Peri votes for Oboro, but anything can happen." Azura mused.

"Hey Peri...your vote's obvious, right?" Flash wondered.

Peri just nodded. "Yeah...I'm sorry Oboro, but I vote to eliminate you. I hope you can revitalize your parent's livelihood!"

"Thanks Peri, you can head on back." Peri got up to leave, passing Elise in the hall.

"Elise appears to be the one voice to send either Peri or Oboro packing. Let's see how she votes," Azura noted.

"Hey Elise. Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I'm really really sorry for this, but I vote to eliminate Oboro. We'll see you on the outside!" Elise voted.

"Thanks Elise, you can head on back." And with that, Elise left.

"With a vote of three to two, Oboro is going to be sent packing. Now it's time for Flash to reveal the votes." Azura commented.

"Alright Team Agi. The votes are in. Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe." Flash said. "Those people are...Xander, Ryoma, and Elise."

Peri and Oboro were sitting next to one another, holding hands. It was clear that the long and really personal rant between each other was water under the bridge for them.

"By a vote, of three to two...Peri, you…" Flash held on for dramatic purposes. "Are safe. It's official, Oboro. You have been eliminated from Fates Party."

Oboro got up, hugging each one of the other four, saving Peri for last. "Hey Peri…? Can you do something for me?"

"Sure," Peri wiped a fresh tear away.

"Next time you see Lord Takumi, tell him...I love him." Oboro got misty-eyed as she went up the staircase to leave.

"Bye Oboro!" Elise called. "We'll be keeping you in our thoughts!"

Oboro couldn't help but smile at that comment, knowing it would be true. When she stepped onto the stage, the amount of support from the audience was enormous. She sat down across from Azura.

"Well, Oboro. You made quite the scene," Azura commented. "I've gotta ask...do you regret doing what you did?"

"Yeah, I can admit that it was...it was a bit mean-spirited, and really and truly I'm sorry for what just happened." Oboro admitted.

"What do you think about their chances now that you've been voted out?" Azura wondered.

"I wish them the best," Oboro answered. "They've got a tough battle ahead of them with only four of them left. But I think they'll find some way to bounce back from this."

"Is it possible your views on Nohrians have been changed?" Azura was curious.

"A little, actually," Oboro confided. "There's good Nohrians out there, but there's also the bad ones."

"The distinction between good and bad is quite complicated, isn't it?" Azura continued.

"Yeah, you could say that." Oboro nodded. "It just goes to show that you don't really know everything about someone just based on what you get from first impressions."

"Any plans going forward now that your time in this game is over?" Azura had to ask.

"I do, actually," Oboro answered. "I'll be restoring my family's business, and I'll run it to the best of my ability. If my parents' spirits are listening right now...I hope I'll make them proud."

"I wish you the best of luck down the road, Oboro." Azura smiled. "Thank you so much for playing."

"Thanks for having me." Oboro responded, getting up to go down the torchlit path, once again receiving a roaring applause.

When she arrived, Azama was there to greet her.

"Good to see you, Oboro," Azama said. "I guess this competition wasn't tailor made for you?"

Oboro softly chuckled. "Shut up," She responded.

(So...I've got a few things to say. First and foremost, I tried my best to make that scene emotional. If I didn't do that good of a job, eh. I'll get better in due time. If it seems like I'm going against my update schedule, don't fret Deviantart. I just haven't had anything interesting for Colette to talk about, nor have I had any strokes of genius for Character Spotlights.

Secondly, though. I really want to address this. Originally I couldn't stand Oboro due to her hatred of Nohrians and I chose Nohr when I first got Fates because of the Anti-Nohr prejudice. Younger me did not want to be associated with that. Now that I'm 18, and a bit more mature, I will admit that I somewhat understand where she was coming from with that in the sense of if I were in her shoes, I'd probably feel the same way, but this really doesn't excuse her behavior. And no, I'm not taking Peri's side in the matter; I ain't giving the psycho a pass here. There's a reason I chose Revelations as my first path, and it was because not only could I not bring myself to hurt Sakura, but because I could feel Hoshido's pain too.

One last thing I want to bring up before we get to the clue; I saw in my notifications this song that Will Ryan of DA Games put out called As The Lights Go Out. As he put it, it was a song he needed to make and it's a song that is, and I quote, "the symbolism of what people see me as in the perspective of the audience, and how I feel behind the scenes." Will, you're probably never going to see this since I don't know if you care for Fire Emblem all that much, but I liked you a lot not just because of the music you made. I liked you for who you were, and that's a really awesome guy. When I saw what you tweeted the day before releasing this song about wanting to give up on life (granted I'm a bit late on that), I was legitimately shocked and scared for you. Will, if by chance you manage to find this message, know that I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers and hope that you can make it through this rough patch of your career.

Next time, we'll have our heads **in the clouds** and see if Team Agi can recover from their 2-loss streak. See you then.)


	6. Episode 5: Wheel In The Sky

(Okay, so there's two things I wanna talk about before I get to the episode proper. First thing's first, Oboro. Not so much her getting voted out, but why her parents had to die a horrible death. Oboro is just one example of something I don't like in Fire Emblem, and that's the killing off of characters' parents. I wonder why the writers do this to death - no pun intended - because the way I see it is it's a very lazy way to develop someone's character. My advice? Don't make everyone an orphan. Only if it's really plot relevant for them to be dead or out of the picture, don't go doing it willy nilly.

And the second thing I want to talk about is this story itself. I already told one of my friends about this, but I am not going to be playing favorites. If that was the case I'd have already had Takumi be voted out first. Truth be told, while I do have the boards and challenges planned out, and the boot order for the most part...I honestly have no idea who I want to have be the Superstar. Regardless of who gets it in the end, their winner story will at the very least make sense. That's the goal.

Anyway, let's not worry too much about that. Let's party!)

 **Episode 5: Wheel In The Sky**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…._

 _Takumi wanted to prove his worth to his team, making a plea with Camilla about doing so. Beruka got Effie in gear for the challenge on the next day, and Elise told Xander about the Hint Giver._

 _The challenge was to find three parts of a star shaped keystone to obtain the treasure of the jungle. Chaos soon ensued._

 _Hinoka, Effie, Leo, and Keaton fought King K. Rool at the end, with Hinoka claiming victory for Team Garu, along with a golden bunch of bananas. Through Bonus Stars, Team Bufu obtained safety, forcing Team Agi to go to another Elimination Ceremony._

 _Before the vote, no one really wanted to strategize. Instead they wanted to get the vote over with._

 _After a massive scene at the vote, Oboro was eliminated by a vote of 3-2. With their spirits revitalized, can Team Agi make a comeback? 15 are left. Who will be voted out next? Watch and find out._

 **Team Garu: Effie, Beruka, Hinoka, Kagero, Sakura, Subaki**

 **Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton**

 **Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma**

* * *

Team Agi went back to their rooms, Ryoma meeting up with Peri.

" _It's only the four of us now on Team Agi. Myself, Xander, Elise, and Peri. Looking at the glass half full, we've got quite a good group. A comeback is almost certain here...I believe it." -Ryoma_

"So...you're not going to get after me for all my past actions?" Peri asked.

"Not really," Ryoma said. "I wished to clear something up."

"Go ahead." Peri lied down.

"Peri, I'm perfectly fine with your um...bloodlust, for a lack of better words, so long as it's directed towards the enemies of your liege." Ryoma said.

"Oh, that's fine," Peri responded. "Lord Xander told me I'm not to stab, bludgeon, strangle, or harm any other players in this contest. But anyone trying to attack us that's from outside the contest is fair game!"

"That's fair." Ryoma nodded. "As long as we can keep our spirits up, we'll be able to survive the challenges ahead."

" _Lord Ryoma is sooooo cool! No wonder Lord Xander thinks of him as a rival! I still want that advantage Lord Xander and I get going into the merge, so I gotta stab it into high gear!...I mean kick it into high gear, tee hee!" -Peri_

* * *

Meanwhile with Team Bufu, Keaton was walking around outside when he heard something ringing.

"What the heck?" Keaton's ears perked up as he began digging outside for whatever was ringing. When he finally found it, he discovered a phone similar to the one Elise found earlier, and answered it. "Uh...hello?"

"Hi there!" The Hint Giver greeted. "I am the Hint Giver. You must be the wolf guy...Keaton, right?"

"How do you know my name?" Keaton demanded an answer. "Are you stalking me?"

"Nope," The Hint Giver cheerily replied. "Anyway, do you want my help or not?"

"Sure, I guess…" Keaton responded.

" _This is so weird...I find this strange device, and there's this person's voice inside the device! She even knows my name, and that's weird. I'M supposed to be the hunter, not the hunted!" -Keaton_

"Well, tomorrow's challenge will involve planes. Basically, mechanical pegasi or wyverns. There's an easy way to get them to work," The Hint Giver explained. "I'm going to give you an order of buttons, and give you a crash course on how the ones you'll be getting tomorrow work. Ready?"

"Sure thing," Keaton responded.

"All right...now you see that game system to your right?" The Hint Giver asks, " That's going to be your steering wheel, I have the button combinations down so you better have a pen and paper set." As fortune would have it, there was a game system that the Hint Giver was talking about in the same hole as the phone.

"I don't need any notes," Keaton responded. "I can merely remember it."

"Umm..you sure..? I mean this is crazy important I'm trying to help you and Rinkah here!" The Hint Giver exclaimed.

"Second verse, same as the first." Keaton scowled. "What do you think I am, dumb?"

"No...but alright." And so the Hint Giver gave him the relevant information. "Also...yeah, I might have added a personal touch to the planes besides the steering wheel."

"I'll keep it in mind," Keaton said.

"Alright then. Good luck!" The call then ended.

* * *

With Team Garu, they were all looking at the Golden Banana bunch they won in today's challenge in Sakura's room.

"So...what do these things even do?" Hinoka asked.

"They sure don't look edible," Effie commented.

"Rare thing for you to say, Effie," Beruka noted.

"M-Maybe we should return it...if it's not that important to us…" Sakura suggested.

"Come now, Lady Sakura," Subaki reassured. "We won these fair and square."

"Though I will say, I hope they're not more trouble than they are worth," Kagero warned. "Flash did mention something about a 'DK' hiding them in those ruins."

"You think he'll want them back?" Hinoka wondered.

"...I hope I'm wrong." Was all Kagero had to say on that matter.

" _All I can really hope for tomorrow is that this DK doesn't attack us. We don't have any idea what he's like, and nothing is scarier than the unknown. But...for my sake and Lord Ryoma's, I'll have to put on a brave face." -Kagero_

* * *

The next morning, everyone congregated outside in front of the Dragon's Gate, wondering where they were going to wind up today.

"Team Garu, Team Bufu, getting your first look at the new Team Agi. Oboro voted out at the last Elimination Ceremony." Flash said.

Takumi cursed his luck.

"Oh, Lord Takumi?" Peri spoke up. "Oboro wanted me to tell you that she loves you."

"She did?" Takumi blinked. "Uh...that's...that's rather sweet of her. But for her to have you, of all people, to pass on her message?"

"It was a falling out last night during the Elimination Ceremony," Elise explained. "Peri and Oboro got into a bit of a fight with each other, but...we all kinda had a moment together."

"Well, that was uh...never mind, let's just get to the challenge," Flash said, firing up the Dragon's Gate. The remaining players followed Flash through.

When they got to the other side, they were standing on a large, yellow cloud, a giant beanstalk was visible, and so was quite a number of airships.

"Welcome everyone, to Airship Central!" Flash announced. Behind him, three airplanes - one green that seated up to six, one blue that seated up to five, and one red that seated up to four, were behind him.

"Uh, what are those things?" Subaki asked.

"Oh, these airplanes? Think of them as pegasi and wyverns, except a bit more complicated." Flash explained. "So, I got these guides in order to help you fly them...but, with a catch."

Everyone waited for Flash to explain the catch.

"The catch is, each team has to select one member to play a minigame for them. Winner gets the official owner's manual, second place gets this guide I found online, and the losers will have to go in blind. So, pick your representative!"

"Leave this to me," Effie stepped forward.

"I can do it." Rinkah volunteered.

"If I may, I'll do this for us," Xander offered. His teammates cheered for him.

"Alright everyone, big advantage on the line here!" Flash was grinning. "Do your best!"

* * *

Soar to Score

Players: Effie, Rinkah, Xander

Description: Let go at the right time to score the highest amount of points. Whoever scores the most after two rounds wins.

Hint: Try to release when facing the point value lower than the one you want.

* * *

The three players were standing in the middle of a large circle, a rope spin being there for them to use. Behind them was a green area that took up half the circle, a white 0 present, and in front of them were two blue areas with white 20s, two yellow areas with white 40s, two orange areas with white 60s, two pink areas with white 80s, and a single red area in front of them, a white 100 almost fully inside a yellow flower. The turn order was as follows; Effie first, then Rinkah, followed up by Xander.

 **START!**

Effie went first, getting spun around on the rope. When she released, she landed on a 40 section. She let out a sigh of relief.

Rinkah went next, and tried her best to avoid getting all dizzy. When she released, she landed on an 80 section. She smirked, proud of her score.

Xander went last in this round, knowing he'd had to get the 100 section in order to cinch the lead. However, he aimed for an 80 and it proved true.

Now for the second go around, Effie went again and aimed for the 100. She nailed it, bringing her final score to 140.

Rinkah was next, and tried to do the same, but went too early and landed on a 40 instead, bringing her final score to 120.

Xander knew he had to get an 80 or higher in order to win for his team. Closing his eyes, he focused and released when he thought he would land on a 100, finding that he landed…

.

.

.

.

.

...Exactly where he wanted to.

 **FINISH!**

* * *

"Xander wins for Team Agi!" Flash exclaimed. Ryoma smiled as Peri and Elise cheered wildly. Flash handed Xander the owner's manual, and then handed Effie the guide he found online. "Sorry Team Bufu, you'll just have to wing it."

"God dammit, Barb…" Kagero muttered under her breath.

"Who's Barb?" Sakura meekly asked.

"So uh...as for today's challenge…" Flash trailed off as he went through his notes. "Crap, where is it?"

"Is there a problem?" Camilla asked out of concern.

Flash was about to say something, but was interrupted by a primate's shouting. "I think we've found one…" Flash grimaced.

Flying towards the group in an small aircraft created entirely out of barrels, a large brown haired gorilla was piloting it, wearing a red tie with the yellow letters 'DK' on it. It was indeed Donkey Kong, and he did not look too happy.

Hinoka jumped. "What in the-?"

DK made various noises that no one could understand.

"I knew it…" Kagero grit her teeth.

"Oh, don't you even try to pin this on me," Subaki instantly spoke up.

"Well maybe if you didn't want to win them for Sakura, then maybe we wouldn't be in this mess!" Hinoka exclaimed.

DK heard this and his eyes immediately locked onto Sakura, thinking she had his Golden Bananas. Swooping down, the other four dove out of the way - save for Effie, who tried to stop DK's plane, but failed as the ape grabbed Sakura and began flying off.

"Gyah!" Sakura squealed out in alarm. "H-Help me!"

"Sister!" Ryoma exclaimed.

"Hey! Get your hands off her you damn dirty ape, and get back here right now!" Takumi shouted.

Hinoka clenched her hands into fists. "Ugh...me and my big mouth…" She lamented. "...No. Now's not the time for this." She looked to Flash. "Hey, do something!"

"I wish I could," Flash apologized. "But...there is a way. New challenge! Whichever team gets Sakura back from DK is immune. Got it? Good. Second and third decided by Bonus Stars, now get going!"

The three teams bolted for their planes, eager to begin pursuing DK.

" _I will not let this stand - that ape will learn the hard way that he's kidnapped the wrong princess. I'd count him lucky. If Hana were competing in my stead, she'd have his head for this crime." -Subaki_

* * *

Team Agi quickly boarded their plane as Peri began flipping through the manual. She would note that it was in English...and then two other languages, those being Spanish and Japanese.

"Hey, this looks kinda cool," Elise said as they examined the controls. It looks as if someone installed the control consoles recently. In fact, it looked a lot like a Nintendo Switch Joycon control with a steering wheel around it.

"How do we start this thing?" Ryoma wondered.

"Uh...lemme see," Peri answered, moving towards the controls. "Lord Xander, I'll fly, you just tell me what to do."

"So basically what I do every day, minus the flying part?" Xander questioned.

"Yup, pretty much!" Peri chirped. Looking at the center of the wheel, Peri wondered, "Hey, so what button do I push?"

Eventually, Team Agi took off in very hot pursuit of DK, the other three recoiling slightly as Peri had a grin on her face.

" _All four of us have to work our hardest to stay in the game! I decided to step up and take on the most important part of this challenge to prove myself. This should be a blast, teehee!" -Peri_

* * *

Team Garu boarded their plane, and Kagero began looking through the guide Flash found online. "I wonder how helpful this guide our host provided us will be." She wondered.

"Probably as helpful as the person who wrote it," Beruka deadpanned. "Let me see here…" She approached the steering wheel, and began inspecting the plane itself.

" _Flash said that these contraptions were like the pegasi and wyverns we fly into battle, but more complicated. From the looks of things, he wasn't joking. I don't like jokers, so that works out in his favor." -Beruka_

Eventually Subaki approached the controls as well. "Kagero, could you be my navigator?" He requested.

"I suppose so," Kagero agreed. So they began their ride…

By going backwards first, much to the dismay of the other girls.

"Wrong way!" Effie shouted.

"Sorry!" Subaki apologized, reversing direction and taking off.

* * *

As Team Bufu boarded their plane, Keaton instantly went to the controls. Leo thought this was weird.

"Keaton, are you familiar with these kind of machines?" Leo questioned.

"I've heard about them," Keaton said, telling a half-truth. Leo glanced over to his sister, and the two engaged in a non-verbal conversation that Takumi, Rinkah, and Keaton wouldn't be able to make out. Through that, Leo learned about the Hint Giver and had a rough idea on how Keaton knew of the controls.

" _So there is this 'Hint Giver' around...interesting. This is the first I'm hearing of this, so I'm glad that Camilla told me about this. It shows me that I can trust her. We'll need this trust to make it through the upcoming challenges." -Leo_

"Good," Camilla said with a smirk. "Now, could you be a dear and share this information with the rest of the class?"

Keaton decided to divulge the information about the controls, but didn't mention anything about where he learned it from.

"Allow me to pilot," Leo said. "It's evident that using this kind of controller is more difficult than with a standard set."

"Alright, fine." Keaton sat down next to Rinkah, who thumped him on the back of the head.

"Can I try later?" Takumi asked.

"If you want us to be skid marks on the ground, sure." Leo shot a slight glare in Takumi's direction, and they took off, Takumi grumbling as they did so.

* * *

With DK, Sakura was in tears, desperately trying to plead with the primate to let her go.

"I-I don't know what I did to deserve this…" She sobbed.

" _T-Talking with DK was...was hard...I could only ask him y-yes or no questions...and e-even then...oh Hotoke, help me…" -Sakura_

DK looked at Sakura. While his expression did have anger in it, it also had a bit of confusion. This young girl took his bananas? Upon reflection it didn't seem to make sense to DK.

"U-Um...could I try to...explain w-what happened?" Sakura asked. DK gave a nod, with another noise that came across as 'This better be good.' So the younger Hoshidan princess elaborated on the details to the best she could, amidst her fears and tears.

Before DK could react, a cackling laughter could be heard. It was Kamek, and with him was a regular sized airship. Sakura let out a shrill scream at the sight due to the fact that the guns were pointed at them. DK also spotted them, and a large storm cloud that looked a bit like a tunnel. Feeling he would lose them in there, he flew towards the opening, the airship giving pursuit.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another place in the Marioverse, E. Gadd was sweeping in his painting gallery. Suddenly he heard a loud noise coming from the entrance. When he went to go investigate, he would find none other than Bowser was there.

"Eep!" E. Gadd exclaimed.

"Bwahahaha! Nice to see you, nutty professor!" Bowser boisterously said. "I need to borrow your ghosts!"

"My ghosts? Now see here, I've gotten too old for this ghost-catching tomfoolery...either leave or-" E. Gadd began to say, but Bowser cut him off.

"Or what, you'll stop me? Fat chance!" Bowser laughed. "Say goodnight!" He was about to punch E. Gadd…

When suddenly a throwing star cut his arm, causing the Koopa King to yelp out in surprise. "Hey! Who threw that?" He demanded an answer. A green haired ninja would be his answer, the ninja in question being none other than Kaze.

"Ah, thank you!" E. Gadd thanked Kaze. "Your timing is perfect!"

"No need for thanks," Kaze responded. "I'm merely acting on orders. Those orders being to make sure Bowser does not interfere."

"Trying to play hero here?" Bowser folded his arms, getting a sinister grin. "Men! Grab the paintings that'll be important! I'll keep this chump busy!"

Various Koopatrols began swarming in the gallery, as Kaze realized he couldn't take them all, but he could do his best.

"Get somewhere safe," Kaze told E. Gadd. "I'll handle this." E. Gadd gave a nod as he rushed off. "Lord Corrin, Flash, I hope you'll be okay with the results…"

"Say your prayers!" Bowser shouted, breathing fire at Kaze. Kaze easily evaded the gout of fire, flinging another throwing star at a Koopatrol, pinning him to the wall. His main aim was to stop the Koopatrols from getting any more portraits.

Eventually Bowser tried clawing Kaze, which also didn't work. His stout strength did him no favors against the ninja's agility, allowing him to slash the Koopa King a few times. Kaze was, quite literally, dancing circles around Bowser. During this time he struck down a few more Koopatrols. E. Gadd, also during all the commotion, was doing his best to save any of the paintings from falling in the hands of Bowser and his cronies.

Bowser roared in anger, going for a Whirling Fortress, which managed to hit Kaze, now stumbling back. Bowser took advantage of this and rushed Kaze, now going to attempt a Flying Slam.

While this did work, Bowser chuckled as he felt something crunch underneath him...but looked gobsmacked to find that all he did was crunch a branch. "What the-!?"

"Just give it up," Kaze demanded, standing feet away from Bowser and striking down more Koopatrols. Bowser growled, but a Koopatrol who wasn't injured came to him.

"Your Highness! We've secured enough paintings for your plan!" He said.

"Excellent!" Bowser laughed. He pointed to Kaze. "As for you, ninja boy, I'll remember this. I won't go easy on you the next time!" With that, Bowser and his men took their leave.

Kaze shook his head upon seeing E. Gadd. "I'm sorry that I couldn't stop him."

"Oh, think nothing of it," E. Gadd told him. "You gave Bowser quite the thrashing, young man! If he didn't have to leave, I say you would've given him a real what for!" The professor did a count of all his paintings, and found that seven of them had been taken and used by the Ghost Portrificationizer.

"Do I need to go recover them for you?" Kaze asked.

"I think your friends will be fine," E. Gadd said. "In fact, I have an idea." He whispered something in Kaze's ear, which required the latter to squat down to his height in order to hear it.

"I see...I'll relay this message on to Flash and Lord Corrin as soon as I can." Kaze responded.

"I shall get the Poltergusts ready!" E. Gadd exclaimed. "Oh, by the way...I never got your name."

"Kaze," Was the ninja's response. "And I must be off." With that, he ninja'd away.

* * *

Back with the others, Peri spotted DK taking Sakura in through the storm clouds, prompting her to give chase like a Spanish bull seeing red. Not helping this was the fact she was driving like a madwoman.

"Slow down, Peri!" Ryoma shouted. Elise however, was getting restless.

"Bro, lemme take the wheel," Elise said.

"Elise…" Xander sounded worried.

"I'll be fine. I was paying attention when you were telling Peri how to fly," Elise reassured. "And besides, I wanna help!"

"Fine." Xander gave a nod. "Peri, give the controls over to Elise."

"Huh? Why?" Peri asked. "I've been doing just fine."

"That's an order." Xander frowned, giving a stone cold expression. Peri surrendered the controls over to Elise, who confidently took the helm. It was too late for them to go anywhere but directly through the storm.

"Hold onto your seats guys." Elise smirked. "I'll get us through!" She was doing quite well as they entered the storm. "Hang on Sakura! We're coming!"

" _I knew I had to step up because, to be honest, Peri is more fit to be behind the reins of the horse than the controls of this plane. I'll fly us to victory...heck, I'll even take on DK myself if I have to! I'm getting my buddy Sakura back, even if it's the last thing I do!" -Elise_

As for Team Garu, Subaki confidently gave chase as well.

"Anything tries to hit us, I'll smash it!" Effie exclaimed.

"Thank you Effie." Subaki smiled confidently. "Now, let's go get our princess back!"

Team Bufu on the other hand had different plans.

"I can see we can fly directly outside of the storm," Leo commented, doing just that.

"But we might lose Sakura!" Takumi exclaimed.

"We'll catch up," Leo reassured. "Sakura is going to be returned to us safely."

"I'll take on whoever stands in our way, Lord Leo," Rinkah declared. "You keep doing what you're doing."

"Yeah, me too!" Keaton grinned. "You can count on me!"

"You know where I stand, dear brother," Camilla chimed. Takumi was quiet, but gave a nod to Leo.

"Lead the way," He reluctantly added, but had a smile.

" _I trust Leo won't get us hurt, because from what I've noticed he's a really smart guy. He's a good ally to have around, but at the same time he's also a dangerous adversary in the long run. Agh...what am I supposed to do?" -Takumi_

* * *

Back with DK and Sakura deeper in the storm clouds, the airship was gaining on them.

"W-What do we do?" Sakura nervously asked. A pair of Bullet Bills were shot at them. Sakura was scared, but heard a different monkey's voice.

Flying in with a barrel jetpack, a smaller monkey in a red hat and shirt with yellow stars on them arrived, DK reacting happily. The monkey in question was none other than Diddy Kong, twirling his peanut popguns. Diddy quickly shot the Bullet Bills, both of them harmlessly exploding behind them.

"Grr! You pest!" Kamek shouted, charging Diddy.

DK however, turned around and started flying towards Kamek. Sakura found something in the cockpit, which was DK's coconut gun.

"What is this?" She asked. DK happily took it from her, shooting at Kamek. One of his shots hit Kamek square in the face, nearly causing him to fall off his broomstick. Instead of trying to fight back, he fled back to the airship as Diddy gave chase. Sakura looked relieved.

" _This o-other monkey...he came to help us when K-Kamek attacked us...I think that once I tell DK I-I'll give his bananas back...he'll be happy." -Sakura_

Elise witnessed the confrontation going down, but her vision was obscured with the wind and rain flying in her face. She didn't see the airship, but she did see DK flying off. Peri however, did see the airship.

Subaki had similar difficulties with the conditions obscuring his vision, but did his best to give chase. The others spotted the airship as well, and noted a Bullet Bill flying their way.

"Get down!" Effie ordered, standing up. As the others ducked their heads, Effie threw a punch at the Bullet Bill, destroying it on impact as it harmlessly exploded above the others.

"Effie, are you alright?" Beruka asked.

"Right as rain," Effie responded, shaking her right hand and stayed standing, ready for any more Bullet Bills that came their way.

* * *

On the other side of the storm cloud tunnel, Team Bufu was fast approaching the other end, Leo deftly piloting them onwards. They spotted DK and Sakura flying out the other end, along with the other two teams in hot pursuit.

"Yay! We made it!" Elise cheered.

"See everyone? We're fine," Subaki told his teammates. They also had to move out of the way with the airship approaching, and Kamek was not happy.

"Ugh...you guys are REALLY starting to get on my nerves!" Kamek exclaimed. "I'm on direct orders to sully your fun, and I can't do that because of some meddlesome primates!"

Diddy Kong, who flew out of the storm clouds last and took everyone by surprise, shook a fist at him.

Kamek then began started waving his wand, charging up a powerful spell. "I won't let His Rudeness down! Take this!"

Everyone braced for the attack, but it never came. Instead, for some reason they would be hearing a little tune known as Last Surprise, and when they turned around to see the source of the noise, they would find a blonde girl who was at least sixteen years of age riding a broomstick at a breakneck pace, a blue beam of light behind her. She wore a purple witch's dress and hat with a white bow tied around said hat. Her name? Marisa Kirisame.

"Oh crud…" Kamek grimaced. Marisa smashed directly into Kamek, sending the Magikoopa flying and being reduced to nothing more than a twinkle in the distance. It was then the music stopped.

"Who are you?" Keaton asked.

"Me? I'm Marisa Kirisame, and that felt nice." Marisa introduced. "Ah, nothing like a good Master Spark to really give it to him!"

"Hey guys!" Flash called, looking different from before. His wardrobe had changed to white, angelic robes, along with a snow white patch of hair on the top of his head akin to the shape of a Poke Ball. The really noticeable part of this was that he had a pair of snow white wings that helped him fly. "You're welcome by the way Marisa."

"So hey...where's my reward?" Marisa asked.

"What reward?" Xander responded.

"Well, I just helped you guys deal with Kamek...shouldn't I be rewarded?" Marisa was hiding her true intentions, but no one bought it. Especially not Xander.

"Don't play coy with us," Xander darkly spoke.

"I don't see how Lord Xander could give a reward to anyone with such a tacky fashion sense." Peri added.

Marisa's eye twitched as she grabbed a spell card. "Alright! Either hand over all your treasures or I'll wipe all of you out right now!"

Flash just stared at Marisa, shaking his head. "After I let you bash Kamek into next month with your Master Spark... _this_ is how you repay me?" He then got an idea. "Everyone! Pick one person from each team to do battle!"

"I'll handle this, Xander," Ryoma volunteered.

"Do teach this young lady a lesson in manners," Xander requested. "And make sure she doesn't turn Siegfried into a glorified whisker shaver." Ryoma gave a nod in response.

"If Ryoma's fighting, so am I!" Hinoka exclaimed.

"Hey, I wanna be the hero!" Takumi added. "Lemme fight too!"

Marisa laughed. "Oh, you three are gonna regret facing me. I'm gonna take all of your valuables, AFTER I destroy you with the might of my danmaku!"

* * *

 **BOSS BATTLE**

Hinoka vs Takumi vs Ryoma vs Marisa Kirisame

Marisa's Danmaku Dogfight

Description: Marisa will utilize all her Spell Cards (except the Master Spark) to try and shoot you down. Grab missiles and attack Marisa that way! Normal blue missiles score 1 point, while golden missiles score 3.

Hint: Golden missiles will not only score more points, but they'll also punch right through smaller danmaku bullets!

Note: And per request, we'll have music playing for this battle! You're welcome. For the first phase, her theme from Hopeless Masquerade will be playing, and once she hits half health, Love-Colored Master Spark from Urban Legend in Limbo.

* * *

Flying in smaller aircrafts similar to the ones they were in earlier - Hinoka in green, Takumi in blue, and Ryoma in red - Marisa flew in front of them, turning around and cracking her knuckles, readying her spell cards.

"Get ready to lose!" Marisa taunted.

 **START!**

As the trio prepared for Marisa's first move, she shuffled her deck.

"Alright, here we go! Shooting Star: Super Perseid!" Marisa started the battle off strong, purple orbs flying at the combatants who swerved out of the way. Missiles in bubbles, mostly blue ones, floated towards the battlefield, untouched by the danmaku for some reason or another. The trio started to move towards them to obtain the missiles, and shot them at Marisa. She was taking hits, but shook them off.

"I've never seen this kind of magic…" Hinoka was amazed.

"Eyes open you two," Ryoma warned. "That was only one attack. We've no idea what else she has."

"Oh, there's plenty more where that came from, Lobster Hair," Marisa chuckled, her second spell card ready. "Blazing Star Style Tag!" Marisa was surrounded in purple energy as she charged the three, sideswiping Takumi as she moved in all sorts of directions to try and hit them. Ryoma stayed vigilant and focused, now obtaining a golden missile and hitting Marisa with that. It was slow going, but the three all got at least one attack in.

"Let's see...ooh, this'll be good. Blazing Star!" Marisa once again rushed the group, this time in a more reddish energy as she darted forward, leaving red and blue stars in her wake. Once again, the group navigated around.

"Woah!" Takumi yelped out in alarm. Hinoka found that a golden missile she shot seemed to bypass the stars and go straight for Marisa, but narrowly took a massive hit from the attack. Once Marisa was done, she went for another spell card, although the attacks looked like they were adding up.

"Okay, here goes, a tried and true attack. Magic Sign: Milky Way!" The red and blue stars from the previous attack flew in a spiral motion at the players, along with smaller yellow and green stars. This made movement very tricky, as some stars were hitting them all. Missiles were once again shot, which at this point Marisa got surprised.

"What? These guys are tougher than I thought...no matter. They won't be doing good after this!" Marisa smirked, gearing up for another Master Spark.

"She's going to attack us the same way she attacked Kamek!" Ryoma cried out.

Overhead, Sakura and DK were watching, when suddenly Sakura got an idea. "Please...you've gotta help my siblings!" Sakura begged. "I-I'll give back your bananas if you do!" DK liked the sound of that, nodding his head with a smile. "Oh, thank you so much!"

DK took a banana peel he had in the cockpit, and threw it at Marisa, which went on her face and causing her to go off course with her Master Spark, causing her to drive right through the airship Kamek had brought. It was safe to say there was no airship left after that, because there wasn't.

"Oorgh…" Marisa groaned, taking the banana peel off her face, and then got frustrated. "Alright, that's it! You've gone and forced my hand!"

 **Score**

Hinoka: 4

Takumi: 3

Ryoma: 6

Hinoka, Takumi, and Ryoma all stepped up their assault as Marisa took two spell cards, one held in each hand.

"Fear my rage!" Marisa shouted. "Light Attack: Shoot the Little Moon...and Loving Heart: Double Spark!" With the two spell cards used at the same time, there was a lot more chaos going on that the players had to navigate around. There was also more golden missiles available to them, which Ryoma wanted. Takumi got to one first and shot Marisa with it, Hinoka joining in with one of her own.

Marisa got two more spell cards ready. "Magic Cross: Grand Cross...and Astronomical Instrument: Orreries' Solar System!" Hits were taken by the trio, but they all fought back with their own attacks. Ryoma grit his teeth, looking to get a victory for Team Agi, and Takumi was desperate to prove himself.

Marisa was now panting from all the damage. "I...I'm not giving up…" She had two more spell cards. "Magic Bullet: Test Slave...and Love Sign: Wide Master!" In all the chaos, while Takumi and Hinoka got in a hit or two with smaller missiles, it was Ryoma who was looking to finish it.

"For the glory of Hoshido!" Ryoma yelled, firing a golden missile right at her, the attack hitting it's mark. Marisa spun around on her broomstick, eyes closed in defeat, then fell backwards down towards the ground. Her broomstick followed her on the way down.

 **FINISH!**

 **Final Score**

Hinoka: 6

Takumi: 5

Ryoma: 8 (Plus 3 Final Strike)

* * *

Sakura let out a sigh of relief once Marisa was defeated, DK then flying down to a ring of clouds nearby. Ryoma would land their first, racing over to hug his sister. Sakura tightly returned the favor.

"T-Thank you...thank you, Ryoma…thank you everyone..." Sakura cried tears of joy. The others soon landed, Flash being the last to do so.

"You've got some nerve kidnapping my sister!" Takumi yelled at DK. The primate's response was merely to punch Takumi, hard. All it took was a single punch to knock him out.

"G-Guys, please don't be mad at him!" Sakura defended DK. "After all...he helped when my siblings were fighting Marisa...all he wanted was his bananas back."

"Lady Sakura, we worked hard for those," Subaki said.

"Subaki...I don't want them." Sakura frowned. "Besides...I think my friend here will have better use for them. He also...had one of his friends protect us from Kamek in those storm clouds."

"Ah, Donkey Kong. He's usually a cool guy." Flash smiled. "I can't let this go to rest without credit being given where credit is due. Thank you, for stopping Marisa from wiping out Sakura's family with her Master Spark."

DK was pleased, giving Flash a thumbs up.

"So, with all that being said…" Flash looked at Team Agi. "I think we have our winners for today!"

When the realization set in, the four members of Team Agi were extremely happy with their victory.

"You guys can head on back. Enjoy your night off." The four went back to the fortress, leaving Team Garu and Team Bufu to wonder who would be safe.

"As for you guys, it's time for the Bonus Stars!" Flash announced. "This time, the Bonus Stars are the Minus Star, the Running Star, and the Red Star. First off, the Minus Star goes to...Team Bufu!"

"You're welcome, I guess?" Rinkah scratched the back of her head.

"The Running Star goes over to...Team Garu, for Subaki somehow made a plane fly backwards." Flash continued. Subaki looked embarrassed.

"It's okay Subaki…" Sakura reassured.

"Finally, the Red Star. Now, I would give it to Team Garu but...from where I was standing Takumi was taking more hits from danmaku than his siblings, and he's currently in dreamland thanks to DK so...Team Bufu, you guys are safe!"

"Well well," Leo chuckled. "Takumi must have the Devil's own luck." Camilla and Rinkah carried Takumi back as they headed back.

"Team Garu, after three times of being safe, and 'winning' the first challenge, someone is going to have to be cut from the team. You've got till sundown to figure it out. See you guys then." Flash dismissed them, DK following them through so he could collect his lost treasure.

* * *

Team Garu went to discussing the vote that was due to happen, and all of them were nervous. Some more than others.

In her room, Sakura handed the golden bananas back to DK. He took them back and then took his leave as Subaki and Hinoka walked in.

"So what's the plan, Lady Sakura?" Subaki asked.

"Huh? W-Why do I have to decide who we're voting off?" Sakura responded with a bit of alarm.

" _I am in an alliance with Lady Sakura and Lady Hinoka...assuming we can call it that. As for my vote, I'll vote however my liege wishes to vote tonight. Anything I can do to make her smile, I'll do it." -Subaki_

"Well...um...I really think we need Effie's strength...a-and I'd rather not...vote her out…" Sakura answered.

"So either Kagero or Beruka?" Hinoka wondered for confirmation. "Well, I guess that settles it."

"I guess that's the plan," Subaki added.

"U-Um...are you guys, perchance, thinking of v-voting out Beruka?" Sakura wondered.

"Obviously." Hinoka bluntly answered her sister. "We're in the majority with Kagero."

"But even if we don't vote out Beruka, the three of us still hold the majority." Subaki pointed out.

"You got rocks in your head, Subaki? Why would I want to vote out my brother's retainer?" Hinoka countered. "We're voting Beruka."

"I was merely pointing out a fact," Subaki defended.

"G-Guys! Please stop fighting!" Sakura exclaimed. "B-But...I only didn't say anything about Kagero because...I'm just nervous."

"Sakura, you don't have anything to fear from our fellow Hoshidans." Hinoka went over to Sakura, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Regardless of who goes, we'll still be in the majority provided none of us flip."

"Y-Yeah...you're right…" Sakura looked down. As the two left, Sakura sat down on her bed, letting out a sigh.

" _I-I was so sad...I know DK and I a-are on good terms...but I still have to hurt someone's feelings...this game c-can be so unfair sometimes…" -Sakura_

Elsewhere, Kagero was with Beruka and wondering where her head was tonight. "So…"

"If you're wondering who I'm voting for, it's Subaki. I could've flown the plane better." Beruka plainly said.

" _Scouting is all part of a ninja's responsibilities, among other things. Tonight I'll decide my vote on the general consensus...oh, who am I kidding, Lord Ryoma would kill me if I voted out one of his family." -Kagero_

"True, I did find it strange that he managed to fly the plane backwards…" Kagero mused. "I'll keep it in mind." She went to Hinoka, and found that the conversation was much different.

"We're voting Beruka tonight," Hinoka got to the point. "But Sakura's holding out for some reason."

"Lady Sakura is holding out? Why?" Kagero raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno, she's nervous or something," Hinoka answered. "I'm just trying to look out for her. "And I know...her getting kidnapped was mainly my fault, but I'll make it up to her."

"Hmm...perhaps I could vote with you then? I might vote with you if it seems that Lady Sakura won't." Kagero suggested.

"Whatever works." Hinoka agreed.

Just before the vote, Sakura was still in her room, thinking over what Hinoka was saying earlier...when there was a knock at her door.

"I-It's open…" Sakura called. In walked Elise, who sat down next to her after closing the door.

"Hey Sakura!" Elise chirped. She noticed that Sakura was feeling glum. "What's wrong?"

"We...have to vote someone out tonight…" Sakura responded. "And Hinoka i-is telling me we're voting out Beruka because...we're in the m-majority with Kagero."

"Really?" Elise sounded surprised. "Oh wow...and Hinoka didn't even stop to consider how you felt?"

"She told me I-I had nothing to fear...from my fellow Hoshidans…" Sakura responded.

"Hmm...okay, how about this?" Elise then suggested. "I can talk with my sister and Xander, let them know what's going on, and if everything works out the way I hope it does, they won't want to vote you out."

"T-Thank you, really." Sakura softly smiled.

Elise held Sakura's hand. "I've got your back, alright? Thick and thin, I want to get through this with you."

Sakura gave a nod, standing up. "Alright. I know what to do now."

" _Elise came into my room...just before the v-vote, and said that she wants to work with me...I really trust her, and um...we'll go really far t-together." -Sakura_

* * *

Once the sun set, the six members of Team Garu went down to the basement for the vote. As usual, Flash was present on the screen.

"Well well, Team Garu. Welcome to your first Elimination Ceremony." Flash greeted. "Now, before we get to the good stuff, I gotta ask...what happened today?"

"My guess is we just got careless," Beruka answered. "After we've been safe from elimination for so long, it was only natural."

"Subaki, you got your team the Running Star by flying backwards. Embarrassed or proud?" Flash asked.

"The former, Flash," Subaki sighed. "I'll admit that it wasn't my finest moment, but I give my word to do much better than that."

"Sakura, let's talk about the boss fight today against Marisa. You got Donkey Kong to interrupt Marisa's Master Spark, which probably would've done untold damage to your siblings. What do you think this says about you tonight?"

"Um, well...I think it's g-going to be harder to vote me off...I guess." Sakura answered.

"Effie, what about you?" Flash asked. "Do you agree with Sakura?"

"Of course," Effie answered. "She still got taken by DK, and I tried to stop him...guess I wasn't tough enough to do that."

"It's fine, Effie…" Sakura spoke.

"Beruka, what do you think this vote is going to be based off tonight?" Flash wondered.

"The vote tonight should be based on making us stronger as a team and making sure we don't come back here in the future," Beruka answered.

"Alright. Well, it seems you've all got your cards held close, guess there's only one way to tell what'll happen now. It is, time to vote. Hinoka, you're up." Flash said, Hinoka going to cast her vote.

Outside the fortress at the outdoor stage, Azura was watching, and so was the live audience. It always seemed to grow slightly bigger every night. "The talk was very simple, but I believe tonight's vote will draw the lines for Team Garu. Welcome everyone to tonight's Elimination Ceremony." The monitor showed Hinoka in the voting booth. "Hinoka is the one that made the plan to vote out Beruka. Her vote should be obvious."

When Hinoka sat down, she was greeted by Flash. "Hello Hinoka! Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"I'm voting to eliminate Beruka." Hinoka voted.

"Thanks girl, you can go on back." Hinoka left, passing Subaki in the hall.

"Subaki wants what's best for Sakura, but how will he go about doing that?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Subaki! Flash greeted. "Please cast your vote to eliminate."

"With my deepest apologies, I vote to eliminate Beruka." Subaki voted.

"Thanks man, you can go on back." Subaki left, passing Effie in the hall.

"Effie is a real interesting case, for she's not really aligned with anyone. How will she vote tonight?" Azura thought aloud.

"Hello Effie! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"Eh, I think I'll vote to eliminate Subaki." Effie voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Effie did so, passing Beruka in the hall.

"Beruka states she could have flown the plane better. It won't be a shocker who she plans on voting for." Azura said.

"Hello Beruka! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash greeted.

"My vote is simple. I vote to eliminate Subaki." Beruka plainly voted.

"Thanks for that, you can go on back." Beruka did so, passing Kagero in the hall.

"Kagero plans to vote with Hinoka if she thinks Sakura won't. How true will Kagero's prediction be?" Azura mused.

"Hello Kagero! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash said.

"My vote is for Beruka." Kagero voted. "Mainly to be on the safe side."

"Thanks for that, you can go back now." Kagero left, passing by Sakura.

"Sakura is in a very interesting position. After her harrowing adventure today, her vote should be interesting." Azura commented.

"Hello Sakura! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"Um...well...I-I didn't want to do this, but...I vote to eliminate Beruka." Sakura voted. "I-I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. You can go back now." Sakura went back to her team.

"With four votes to eliminate, Beruka's fate has been sealed. Now we turn it over to Flash to reveal the results." Azura spoke.

"Alright Team Garu. The votes are in." Flash said. "Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe. Those people are...Effie, Kagero, Hinoka, and Sakura."

Subaki looked confused. "That's not a good sign…" He grimaced. Beruka remained quiet.

"By a vote, of four to two...Beruka, you have been eliminated from Fates Party." Flash revealed the result.

"My apologies Lady Camilla…" Beruka quietly murmured under her breath, getting her things and going up the staircase. The other team members waved goodbye to her as she left.

When Beruka exited the fortress and stepped on stage, there was a wave of applause and cheers for her. Quietly, Beruka sat down across from Azura.

"Good to see you again, Beruka," Azura began. "How did it feel getting voted out?"

"It wasn't a good feeling, that much is for sure," Beruka answered. "I can only imagine how Lady Camilla will react."

"Speaking of, how do you think Camilla will do without you?" Azura wondered.

"My liege is a very tough woman. She will do just fine without me." Beruka stated.

"She did mention a shopping trip with Selena...do you think she'd take you with them?" Azura asked. Beruka just gave a nod. "I see...how did you meet Camilla anyway?"

"I received a contract to kill the eldest Nohrian princess, Lady Camilla. During my attempted assassination, she found out about me. Failing a contract is a terrible feeling, but if it weren't for her, I...might not be here tonight."

"You wouldn't think of killing her again, would you?" Azura pressed further.

"Only if I found someone more trustworthy than her, which, if I may be so blunt, seems quite impossible." Beruka responded.

"Camilla is quite the caring individual." Azura noted. "Thank you for playing, Beruka."

"You're welcome." Beruka nodded. As she left down the torchlit path, there was one last round of applause for her.

Once she walked inside, Azama was there to greet her.

"This is a humble surprise," Azama chuckled. Before he could give a zing, Beruka stopped him with a very intimidating glare.

"Do you have a death wish? I don't like jokers." She said.

"No, not at all." Azama sweatdropped. "I'll just see myself to another room. One that is preferably well lit and will have plenty of witnesses." With that he left the room, leaving Beruka to get settled in.

(And...we're done. With this episode, of course. Now you're probably wondering 'Flash, what were you smoking!?' as you read all the insanity that went on this episode, so. Allow me to explain myself.

First of all, the original plan this episode was to have the players play minigames in a sort of endurance challenge and have Kamek be the boss. As I read that over, I realized two things were wrong with that plan. One, Bowser Party 1 did something similar in Rainbow Dream on the same number episode as this one so it wouldn't have been original, and two, I would've gotten very bored, and it would've shown in my writing. So, I rewrote the whole script and decided to tie DK in because come on, obviously he would've shown up eventually so I might as well get that out of the way.

Secondly, and this is the big one. Why was Marisa, a character from Touhou, the boss for this episode? Well, it's rather simple. My buddy Nan has Marisa and Kamek as bitter enemies in his Touhou stories, and I was wanting to make something original for this episode's boss battle rather than rip off Kamek's Rocket Rampage from Mario Party 10. That and you'd have never seen it coming. I know, Persona 5's battle theme is so memetic, I couldn't resist! In a nutshell, that's why I had Marisa be the boss this episode. Have fun trying to imagine her using Siegfried to shave her legs...assuming she shaves of course XD

Thirdly, I had a discussion with a really cool friend of mine who said that Mario Party 9 and 10 were mainly luck based and ruined it for everyone. I never had any problems with those games - in fact, I had a lot of fun playing a game of 9 with my dad once before. He even beat me at Spike Strike, after I told him it was like Spoons. To that friend, and I won't say any names, but I can respect your opinion, and you can have it. But just understand that I was likely in diapers by the time the first few Mario Party games were released, so I would have never known about how skill based it was back then. I still think luck has always been a factor in Mario Party, because if it wasn't at all, Arthur would have a chance of winning every time, and we all know how bad that guy's luck is.

Now onto Beruka. I really like her. I get that as a unit Camilla could be better than her, but it's more a matter of personal preference. There's two things that I really like when it comes to girls for some reason or another. Chicks that ride wyverns, and chicks that are assassins. I don't know why I'm so invested in the latter, but when it comes to the former, if you can tame one of those things in my opinion you could tame anything. I really wanted to do more with her, but she was in the minority on Team Garu and really didn't do much of anything, so yeah.

As for what I'll do for DA, I'll take the last episode and this episode, and compile them into one big update. It's gonna be a pain to format but I'll do it. I'll get it done before school starts, which for me is on the 9th, so that'll be fun. I'll have to work something out with my Study Hall teacher if I want to use that time for writing, which I do, but hopefully I'll get something settled.

Anyway, that's all the time we have. Next time we are **cycle through day and night** and wonder: Will Bowser's latest scheme work? Probably not because Leo is still here. See ya guys then!)


	7. Episode 6: Spooky Scary Skeletons

(Let me just say that last episode's boss battle was, by far, the most fun I've ever had writing a boss battle ever. Just imagining all the chaos going on with two spell cards going off simultaneously is just as hectic as it is fun.

Anyway, we've got another episode for you. Let's roll!)

 **Episode 6: Spooky Scary Skeletons**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _Ryoma clarified his stance on Peri's bloodlust, Keaton found the Hint Giver, and Team Garu wondered what the Golden Bananas were good for._

 _The challenge became a rescue mission after Donkey Kong showed up and kidnapped Sakura wanting his Golden Bananas back._

 _The Hoshidan royal family all stepped up to do battle with Marisa Kirisame, with Ryoma coming out on top and winning it for Team Agi. Thanks to Takumi getting punched out by DK, Team Bufu was spared from eliminating anyone, resulting in Team Garu going to their first Elimination Ceremony._

 _Before the vote, Hinoka lobbied with Subaki and Kagero to eliminate Beruka to solidify her alliance's place in the majority. Sakura however, was skeptical, and felt sorry for voting someone out._

 _In the end, Beruka was sent packing in a 4-2 vote. 14 are left. Who will be next to go out the door? Read and find out!_

 **Team Garu: Effie, Hinoka, Kagero, Sakura, Subaki**

 **Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton**

 **Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma**

* * *

Team Garu returned to their rooms, with Subaki shutting - and locking - the door behind him. He sat on his bed, staring at the ground in total anguish.

" _*in tears* I...I really messed up today. My parents would look at my performance in the challenge and ridicule me for the failure I was. Those two votes I got tonight reflect that." -Subaki_

Burying his hands in his face, his muffled sobs would almost overpower the knock he heard at his door. Eventually it would be busted down by the resident strongwoman Effie, followed by Sakura, which gave the sky knight a fright.

"S-Subaki? Why are you crying?" Sakura asked.

"I feel like I failed you today, Lady Sakura," Subaki responded. "That's why."

"This again?" Effie raised an eyebrow. "Feeling down because you weren't perfect today?" Subaki could only give a slow nod.

" _Subaki's really trying too hard to be something he's not. I'm guessing he should be glad to have teammates like myself and Lady Sakura to pick him up. It's what friends are there for." -Effie_

"Um, Subaki…" Sakura began. "I-I really don't need you to be perfect for me...you just b-being there, and helping me...that's all I could r-really ask of you…"

Subaki went over to hug Sakura. "Ah, Lady Sakura...you're an inspiration for all of us."

Sakura could only smile, not sure what to say.

* * *

Meanwhile with Team Bufu, Takumi was laying down, finally coming to. His other four teammates were all by his bedside, waiting for him to wake up.

" _Seeing Prince Takumi getting punched by a large primate like DK really wasn't something I expected to happen...but he probably shouldn't have been yelling at someone with muscles the size of his head." -Rinkah_

"You're awake," Leo mused. "How about that."

"Ungh...what happened?" Takumi groaned. He winced as he felt a sharp pain in the side of his head. When he saw what it was, he found that an ice pack was tied there recently.

"A giant primate sent you off to bed with a single punch, that's what," Camilla explained. "Rinkah and I carried you back here once the challenge was over, and I stayed here taking care of you."

" _Of course I took care of poor Takumi once we got back here. It's merely the courteous thing to do regardless of who it is. Any mature woman such as myself should know that." -Camilla_

"Yeah!" Keaton confirmed. "And when it looked like you were waking up, she called the rest of us to come in here."

"Really…?" Takumi slowly blinked in astonishment. "You didn't have to do that, Camilla. I would've been fine."

"Not in the current state you are, you wouldn't have." Leo shook his head. "For now, just rest up. Whatever strength you can muster we're likely going to need it for tomorrow."

"I'll be back later to change your ice pack." Camilla added. The four of them left, leaving Takumi to just go back to sleep.

* * *

Elsewhere with Team Agi, Elise had Peri and Xander in her room to discuss what Sakura told her.

"So Hinoka is calling the shots on Team Garu…" Xander thought aloud. "Seems you and Sakura are still really close friends, sister."

"Camilla's gonna throw a fit when I tell her, though," Elise said.

"Huh? You haven't told her yet?" Peri asked.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to tell her!" Elise responded.

" _If I know ANYTHING about my big sister, is that whenever one of us is in trouble, she gears up to go to war to make sure we're okay. So yeah, I'm afraid that Hinoka went and kicked a hornet's nest." -Elise_

"You could let me handle informing her," Xander offered.

"Better you than me, Xander." Elise shuddered. Xander saw himself out as he went to go talk with Camilla.

"So...how do you kill time?" Peri then asked. "Stab wounds or blunt force trauma?"

"Not literally, that's how." Elise deadpanned.

* * *

In his room, Flash was merely writing in a notebook when Kaze came into the room.

"Hey Kaze. What's up?" Flash asked.

"I have some grim news to deliver," Kaze said. He then told Flash about Bowser taking the Portrait Ghosts, causing Flash to stop writing.

"You did try to stop him, right?" Was the teen's response.

"Of course I did," Kaze answered. "And it's likely I would've beaten him, but he fled before I could."

"Very well. I'm just gonna have to make a change of plans here…" Flash noted. "I know! We could make a challenge out of this!"

"Whatever works for you." Kaze then mentioned something else that he heard about.

"So he'll be going there...alright, that's where we'll go." Flash smirked. "It's almost like he's expecting me to be there."

"You _were_ going to that board next." Kaze pointed out.

"True...but I didn't have a challenge that wasn't done by every cliche horror movie in existence, so now we have a legitimate reason to go there other than to force people to ship!" Flash was adamant.

"I'll leave you to it." Kaze then left.

* * *

The next day, the players gathered up outside as they usually did.

"Team Agi, Team Bufu, getting your first look at the new Team Garu. Beruka voted out at the last Elimination Ceremony." Flash said.

While she was already told about it last night, Camilla still folded her arms and slightly scowled. She cast a glare over to Hinoka as if to say 'You're dead to me.'

"Alright, if no one's got anything they wanna add, please follow me!" Flash ran through the Dragon's Gate, everyone else right behind him.

On the other side of the Dragon's Gate, everyone found themselves in a haunted forest, just as the sun was beginning to set. Next to Flash was E. Gadd, who had three Poltergust 3000s with him.

"Imagine the horrors that await you in Horror Land!" Flash exclaimed, doing his best to sound like ProtonJon before switching back to his normal voice. "That's why I brought this guy along with me."

"Hello everyone!" E. Gadd greeted. "My name is Professor E. Gadd. So, you're the ones that Flash here is having help me?"

"What happened?" Ryoma asked. E. Gadd told them the story of what happened the day before. Takumi froze up.

"Ghosts?" He repeated.

" _That Bowser...my head might still hurt, but if I had my Fujin Yumi I have half a mind to shoot an arrow right where the sun doesn't shine for him! The nerve!" -Takumi_

"And therein lies today's challenge," Flash continued. "See, Kaze informed me that Bowser had the audacity to break out some ghosts from E. Gadd's collection, so I figured that we might as well salt the Earth before his plan even takes root."

"Sounds good to me," Effie shrugged. "So what do we gotta do?"

"Other than the fact I have no idea what he plans on accomplishing by doing this, the challenge is very simple. The team that gathers up the most Portrait Ghosts is our winner. As for what Portrait Ghosts are, you'll know 'em when you see them. As for 2nd and 3rd place-" Before Flash could finish explaining the challenge, a very familiar deep laugh was heard by everyone.

"I knew I'd find you here!" It was Bowser! And he was also dressed like a wizard for some reason.

"Yup, you totally predicted we'd be here," Keaton snarked. "Do you want a medal or something?" He held the statute that he bought of Bowser back two days prior. "Or maybe this to commemorate your success?"

"You shut your yap, wolfie!" Bowser responded. "I didn't come here to deal with your sass."

"Pretty sure you get enough of that from Starlow," Flash chuckled under his breath.

"What's your problem anyway, big guy?" Peri asked. "Are you trying to make yourself feel better by being mean to others?"

"No!" Bowser roared, breathing fire at her. Peri jumped out of the way.

"Ooh, are we fighting now?" Peri suddenly got excited. "Lord Xander, just say the word!"

"Another time." Xander frowned. Peri started pouting.

"Bwahahahaha! Now that that's settled...go, my new minions! Wreak havoc on this place and make sure they can't have fun!" Bowser loudly exclaimed. Eight ghosts of varying shapes and sizes then flew about the map, leaving the players to do their best of keeping track of where they went. Bowser then went off to go do something else, leaving the group to process what just happened.

"Well, I guess there's not much else to say on my end. Gadd, if you could be so kind as to explain the other thing." Flash requested.

"Of course!" He had 3 of his Poltergusts with him, all of which were the 3000 model. "I'm going to need one member of each team to be the designated Poltergust wielder. Make your decision now."

The three teams deliberated who would carry their team's Poltergust. Team Agi decided to let Peri wield it since she felt miffed on not being able to fight Bowser. Team Bufu had Camilla volunteer since Leo felt working with his sister would be best for victory. Finally, Team Garu had Subaki volunteer since he wished to redeem himself from yesterday.

"Well then, E. Gadd I take it you know what must be done now." Flash added.

"Sure." He then went to instruct Peri, Camilla, and Subaki on how to use the Poltergust 3000 properly.

" _This Poltergust thingy is the closest thing I'm going to get to a proper weapon all game. I can already see the horrible ways I can kill someone with this...but I don't have any real reason to, so I won't." -Peri_

" _Leo and I work very well together, he lays out the plan, and I execute it to the best of my ability. It was his idea for me to wield the Poltergust for our team, so I have confidence we'll be the winners today." -Camilla_

" _Today I need to redeem myself after my utter disaster back at Airship Central. I'm so glad that Lady Sakura is willing to give me another chance and redeem myself. I won't let her down." -Subaki_

Once the instruction was over, it was already nighttime, and the moon was out and full.

"Huh, it's already night here. Ah well. Good luck everyone!" Flash tossed the group flashlights, one for each player and they set off in search of the ghosts.

* * *

Sakura stuck close to Subaki as she shone her flashlight around the area, timid as usual.

"Remain calm, Lady Sakura," Subaki did his best to calm her nerves. "You haven't a thing to fear with me around."

"B-But...where'd the others go?" Sakura looked around. As bad luck would have it, the two were separated from the other members of their team.

"...Huh." Subaki blinked. They suddenly saw a white flash off to the side of the path they were taking. Curious, the duo decided to take a look. They would soon find a strange ghost woman sitting in front of a crystal ball. She looked at the pair, no hostility in her gaze.

"Ah, good evening," The ghost woman greeted. "I am Madame Clairvoya."

"I-I'm Sakura, and this is my retainer, Subaki," Sakura greeted in kind.

"I see...could you be the youngest princess in the Hoshidan royal family?" Clairvoya asked.

"Yes...h-how did you know?" Sakura wondered.

"My connections to the spirit world allow me to see 49 days into the future." Clairvoya explained. "If you have any dropped items, bring them to me and I will read your fortune."

"Can do, Madame Clairvoya," Subaki told her. "We'll be right back."

"I shall wait for your return…" The fortune teller let them go back to try and retrace their steps.

" _Madame Clairvoya certainly doesn't seem hostile, but I believe she could give Lady Sakura and myself an advantage going into the later parts of this game. All I know is that this is certainly a stroke of good luck." -Subaki_

* * *

Meanwhile with Team Bufu, the five of them stuck together as they searched around for any Portrait Ghosts.

"These woods don't seem all that scary," Camilla mused, a sense of nostalgia coming over her.

"Indeed. They sure do seem like the Woods of the Forlorn." Leo agreed.

"Sure hope we don't get lost like people do in there," Keaton added.

Rinkah looked around. "I sure don't see anything that looks like a-" She was cut off when she stepped in something. Shining their flashlights down on the ground, they'd find it was a red substance that seemed strange to them.

"What is this?" Takumi looked down at the substance, blinking in curiousity. Leo decided to have a quick taste...and more or less knew what it was.

"Tomato sauce…" Leo cracked a smile.

"Huh?" Rinkah raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know what this is exactly, but I know tomatoes are used to make it." Leo stood up, regaining his composure. "It's also fresh, meaning it was here not too long ago." He then frowned. "But still, letting good tomatoes go to waste like this...who would be so wasteful?"

Keaton went suddenly on alert, his flashlight dancing with his movements as he was searching for something.

"Something wrong, Keaton dear?" Camilla inquired.

"I don't think we're alone in these woods…" He responded.

"It's probably one of those ghosts!" Rinkah exclaimed.

Rinkah would soon be proved wrong when another substance, this time white in color and seeming to be ink started being fired in their general direction, all of them getting away and to cover.

"Wah! Are we being attacked!?" Takumi shouted out.

The group would soon see who was attacking them - a pair of squid-like humanoids with weaponry in their hands that they haven't seen before, using said weaponry to shoot that white ink all over the red substance, AKA ketchup, causing Leo to get upset.

"Hey!" Leo shouted at them. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Huh?" One of the humanoids turned to face him, the other doing the same as they stopped shooting. The other four members looked out from behind their cover to watch.

" _Well, this certainly is bizarre. We have no idea what these two are doing here, but what they are doing right now is wasting our time. The worst part? They have weapons. We don't. I'll have to be careful here." -Leo_

Leo stood in front of them both. "Alright, first of all...who or what are you two anyway?"

"We're Inklings!" The first one said. "And we're celebrating our victory over ketchup!"

"So that's what that substance was…" Leo mused. "It sure tasted good. And now you went and covered it in that ink."

"Not our problem," The second one responded. "Mayo is better anyway."

"Mayo?" Rinkah murmured to Keaton.

"Don't look at me. Could be an instrument for all I know." Keaton shrugged.

"What's your problem anyway, guy?" The first Inkling then asked. "You just being a sore loser because ketchup lost?"

"I'm the one asking the questions here." Leo glared. "And I have no idea what you're going on about."

"That's what they all say!" The Inklings then started shooting ink at Leo, expecting something to happen. Leo was knocked down from the shots, but got back up.

"Hey! That was uncalled for!" Leo exclaimed.

"What? He didn't get splatted?" The second Inkling exclaimed.

"Keep shooting him!" The first one urged.

"Leave my brother alone!" Camilla shouted, rushing out of cover to help Leo.

"Hey, what're you doing!?" Keaton called. The Inklings noticed Camilla approaching them.

"Oh, you're so going dow-" The second Inkling aimed his weapon at Camilla, but stopped and stared like an idiot, being completely taken with her figure. Camilla noticed this and giggled, using this to her advantage. The Inklings would soon find that their weapons were being yanked out of their hands by the Poltergust, and sucked right over to Camilla, who held them in her hands.

"Now, how do I use these…" She wondered with a coy smirk on her hands.

"Swim away!" They both yelled, the Inklings fleeing. Camilla rushed over to her brother in worry, dropping both weapons.

"Oh Leo, you poor thing...are you alright?" She asked, concern in her voice.

"Ugh...I'm fine sister. I just got covered in this weird ink." Leo was helped up. "But it doesn't hurt and nothing seems broken...what exactly were they going on about anyway?"

"Who knows," Rinkah said, the other three Bufu members coming out of cover. "All they accomplished was making themselves look like idiots."

"They did waste our time," Leo sighed. "Come on, the other teams have probably caught one of the ghosts by now." The group then proceeded onwards.

* * *

Meanwhile with Team Agi, the four of them were on high alert in search of the ghosts. Elise was walking with Xander.

"So...how'd she take it?" Elise asked.

"Well, after I told her what Hinoka was doing, she didn't take it very well." Xander answered.

"How bad are we talking?" Elise continued.

"She punched a window," Xander said. "Let's leave it at that."

" _Camilla threw a temper tantrum when I told her Hinoka was scheming to get rid of Beruka, and it was highly likely that she would've been eliminated. Once we merge, Hinoka is going to be one of our targets." -Xander_

Ryoma motioned for the other three to stop as he felt something. "Peri. Get your Poltergust ready." Peri silently did so, when suddenly a Boo appeared in front of Elise.

"You're getting mugged, kid!" The Boo exclaimed.

"No, you're getting mugged!" Elise countered, not fazed.

"DAH, HOW THE HELL DOES THAT EVEN WORK!?" The Boo shouted.

"Ooh, I wonder if this counts towards our score!" Peri giggled, exposing the Boo's heart and catching it.

"Probably not." Xander frowned. "But thank you."

* * *

With the other four members of Team Garu, they were all looking for Sakura and Subaki.

"Where'd they go?" Hinoka sounded worried.

"Well, maybe if someone didn't let that large eyeball didn't 'warp' us over here, we wouldn't be in this situation," Kagero deadpanned.

"I thought they were following us!" Hinoka defended.

"Hey, look over there," Effie said, gesturing to a top heavy ghost lifting weights. "That looks like one of the ghosts that got away."

"We don't have the Poltergust. What're we supposed to do?" Hinoka inquired.

"One of you go find the other two. I'll keep him busy." Effie responded.

"Leave it to me," Kagero spoke. She darted off into the night to find their two missing teammates.

" _We've got one of the ghosts out here lifting weights. Heh, my muscles should be enough to give him a scare. By the time Subaki gets back here, we'll have this ghost in the bag." -Effie_

* * *

Back with Sakura and Subaki, the duo found something on the ground. It was a black bracelet with silver spikes on it, and it clearly didn't fit either one of them. From the size of it, it looked like it would fit someone with bigger arms.

"Let's go and see what Madame Clairvoya can tell us with this," Subaki said.

"U-Um...sure thing." Sakura followed Subaki back to where Madame Clairvoya was, Subaki holding the bracelet out to her.

"Could you please help us see the future with this?" He requested.

"Of course," Clairvoya answered. "Hmm, what do we have here? A bracelet? It certainly wouldn't fit on either of your wrists...oh! Ohh! They come! Now the spirits come! Come, spirits of power, come spirits of sight! Show to me the awful things occurring here tonight!"

Sakura and Subaki waited as the crystal ball began showing Clairvoya something.

"I see...is that B-Bowser?" Clairvoya began speaking to the two. "What is he doing here? And he is...in space? Interesting how Koopas can breathe in space. Ah, but what's this? I see...two people standing before him, ready to fight."

"Who are they?" Subaki then asked.

"Stupid crystal...can't even show me their faces. But, from their clothing I can safely say that the spirits tell me someone from Hoshido and someone from Nohr will definitely fight against Bowser!" Clairvoya answered. Suddenly, the ball went dim. "Alas, that is all the spirits can tell me…"

"Well...that narrows it down to about everyone." Subaki frowned. "But regardless, thank you for the heads-up."

"I wish to go back to the comfort of the oils...please, take me away from this horrible situation. I have no desire to work for Bowser." Clairvoya requested. Sakura stayed quiet during this whole thing.

" _This means...that I w-won't get to be with Subaki or my family...in the final two...but on the plus side, I could be going with Elise to t-the final battle…but fighting Bowser sounds scary…" -Sakura_

"Very well then." Subaki did what needed to be done, capturing Madame Clairvoya. "One ghost down, Lady Sakura."

 **Score**

Garu: 1 Ghost

Bufu: 0 Ghosts

Agi: 0 Ghosts

* * *

Team Bufu approached the mansion at the northern portion of Horror Land. "Some of the ghosts flew up in this direction…perhaps they're hiding within." Leo mused. They approached the door, but found it was locked.

"I'll get this," Camilla said, the lockpick stashed close to her heart ready. Working nimbly, Camilla opened the door allowing the team to enter. It was a pretty luxurious mansion on the inside, the team taking in the sights.

"So what's the plan?" Rinkah wondered.

"I'd say we cover more ground and search around in smaller packs as opposed to one large group," Leo suggested. "And once we find a ghost, all we have to do is lure them to Camilla so she can get the capture."

"I'd say that this seems like one big cliche that gets people killed." Takumi folded his arms.

"Oh, you won't have to worry about that, Takumi," Camilla cooed. "You'll be coming with me."

" _So our plan was to split up. I'm going with Camilla, Rinkah and Keaton are going together, and Leo is going solo. Don't these guys know splitting up is a good way of getting killed? Sheesh." -Takumi_

As they went their separate ways, they would be unaware that another team entered the mansion behind them. Team Agi entered through the door that Camilla left open.

"Wow!" Peri squeed. "This place is just like the one I grew up in!"

"Elise, you go with Peri. With luck, Ryoma and I will find one of these ghosts and bring them over your direction," Xander requested.

"Uh, you sure about that?" Elise wondered.

"Peri's strong. She'll keep you safe," Xander responded. "I wouldn't have made her my retainer if I didn't think she was reliable."

"Yeah Elise!" Peri smiled. "Just stick with me."

"Well, if you insist." Elise knew that Peri had the Poltergust, so she would be totally safe.

As the two girls went off, Ryoma looked to Xander. "She sure is fearless. How did you meet?"

"Fighting tournament," Xander explained. "Despite not having any formal training, she placed very high, and I saw potential in her." He continued to tell the story as the two men went elsewhere.

* * *

Outside, Kagero returned Sakura and Subaki to Hinoka.

"Um...where's Effie?" Sakura asked. Hinoka pointed to Effie, who was marching over to the top heavy ghost.

"She was likely waiting for Subaki to get back." Hinoka replied.

"Hey you!" Effie shouted at the ghost.

"Hmm? What do you want with me?" The ghost raised an eyebrow. "Trying to pick a fight with the one and only Biff Atlas?"

"You're needed back in your painting," Effie bluntly said. "If you're trying to intimidate me with those muscles, it's not working."

"Look how much I'm benching!" Biff countered, pumping iron with his barbell with just one hand.

Effie rolled her eyes. "You think that's impressive. Watch this." She waltzed on over to a nearby tree that was recently felled.

"What is she doing?" Subaki wondered.

"Trying to one-up Biff, it seems," Hinoka guessed. Her guess would be proven correct as Effie began to lift the tree up, and threw it several feet in front of her after hoisting it up above her head.

"Holy…" Biff's jaw dropped.

" _I bench trees to keep myself strong for Lady Elise. Nothing's too heavy for me when she's concerned. When you've got the tough job of being a protector for royalty, you've gotta be tougher!" -Effie_

"Now what was that about how much you bench?" Effie wondered. Biff responded by swinging his barbell at the knight.

"Oh no!" Sakura gasped. There was no need for such alarm.

Effie grabbed the end of the barbell Biff swung at her, stopping it in it's path. The two struggled with the piece of equipment for a solid ten seconds before a creaking noise was heard. When the Hohsidans got a closer look, they would see that Effie was bending the barbell before yanking it out of Biff's ghostly hands. Quickly exposing his heart afterwards, Subaki took the cue to start capturing Biff.

With Effie's help, the bodybuilding ghost would be sucked into their Poltergust. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that satisfying 'pop' noise.

"Awesome!" Hinoka cheered. "We got one!"

"Two actually," Subaki corrected. "Amazingly, there was this ghost who told us she would willingly let us capture her."

"That's convenient...let's keep looking." Kagero mused.

 **Score**

Garu: 2 Ghosts

Bufu: 0 Ghosts

Agi: 0 Ghosts

* * *

Back inside the mansion, Camilla and Takumi were found inside a room filled with many clothes, costumes, and various other accessories.

"Uh, Camilla?" Takumi spoke up, noting how his teammate was scouring through the wardrobes. "I don't think this is where ghosts would hang out."

"I'm aware, but I felt like changing it up today," Camilla replied, finding something that peaked her interest. "Could you wait here? I'd like to try something on."

"S-Sure...I'm not scared." Takumi agreed. Camilla went off into an adjacent room to change into whatever it was she grabbed, leaving Takumi to try and ponder what his next move would be.

" _I thought I could take this time to consider what I should do now while Camilla is playing dress up. Obviously I'll reunite with my siblings and try to do whatever we can to be in the majority but...anything could happen." -Takumi_

Takumi was deep in thought he almost didn't notice what Camilla had decided to change into. While she decided to keep her heeled boots and armored corset, she was wearing a low cut violet dress that reached down to her knees, translucent lace gloves that reached up to her elbows, and a small necklace with a heart-shaped jewel.

"Well? I thought it would look nice on me." Camilla wondered what Takumi's opinion would be.

"Erm...you look wonderful, Camilla," Takumi responded. "Now can we please get back to catching ghosts?"

"Of course we can." Camilla took Takumi's hand and left the room in search of more ghosts. She had him carry her other clothes, which she put in a burlap sack.

* * *

With Elise and Peri, the two of them heard the playing of a piano and went to go investigate. They would find a ghost lady in a maroon dress playing on said piano.

"Hey, it's one of the ghosts." Elise noted in a whisper. The lady noticed the duo.

"Oh, hello there." She greeted. "My name is Melody. People call me the spectral beauty of the ivory keys!"

"Nice to meet ya!" Elise giggled.

"You must have delicate ears for music," Melody said. "Would you like to listen to my piano sonata?" Both Elise and Peri nodded. "Well, here I go." She played some music from Super Mario Bros. 3, and the girls really enjoyed it.

"Wow, that was cool!" Peri exclaimed.

"By the way...that song was featured in a famous game. Do you know which game?" Melody asked.

Both Peri and Elise looked at each other, having no idea what Melody was talking about. "Uh…"

"..." Melody was quiet, and then started pounding on her keys. "RAGGH!" She screamed. "I put my heart and soul into that piece, only to be insulted!? How could you, you awful women?"

"Hey, I'll have you know I haven't killed anyone in this past week!" Peri shot back.

"Show them my genius, music sheets!" Melody ordered. Her sheet music suddenly gained sentience and flew towards Elise. Peri got in front of her liege's sister, sustaining a few light cuts in the process of ripping the sheets up and exposing Melody's heart. The two girls worked together to capture Melody, getting the 'pop' noise to signify they got her.

"Xander was right. You are reliable!" Elise remarked.

"Of course I am!" Peri nodded.

" _How dare she call me awful? I know Peri wasn't entirely right in that remark, but I wouldn't say she killed that Goomba guy earlier. Either way, we got us a ghost!" -Elise_

 **Score**

Garu: 2 Ghosts

Bufu: 0 Ghosts

Agi: 1 Ghost

* * *

Elsewhere with Rinkah and Keaton, they would see a candelabra floating in the hallways ahead of them.

"Hey, that's probably being held by one of the ghosts," Keaton wagered. "But what're we supposed to do?"

"Just watch," Rinkah responded. Holding out her left hand, she concentrated on the candelabra for a few seconds when suddenly the candles lit up!

"Woah!" Keaton exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

"It comes with being part of the Flame Tribe," Rinkah told him. They'd also see an old butler ghost freaking out over the candles being lit.

"Ahhhh! Fire! Fire! Fire! Run away! Run awaaaaaay!" It screamed, fleeing.

"Follow that ghost!" Rinkah commanded, Keaton following after her.

" _I knew my control over fire would come in handy sooner or later when I saw that thing floating in the air. Now all we gotta do is reunite with the other members of our team and catch him!" -Rinkah_

* * *

With Xander and Ryoma, they were merely walking along when they saw something white.

"Is that one of the ghosts?" Ryoma wondered.

"No...Leo? Is that you?" Xander called. The figure was indeed Leo who turned to them.

"Brother! It's good to see you," Leo remarked.

"What happened to you?" Ryoma noted the white ink that mostly covered Leo.

"I don't want to talk about it," Leo answered with a scowl. The three heard a noise outside of a door they were standing outside of, and went in to go see what it was. They'd find a very slender ghost playing Pool by himself at a billiards table. After another hit, a few of the billiards balls were sent flying, not that the ghost minded. This was Slim Bankshot.

"Hmm…" Leo grabbed one of the billiards balls once it got close. "Maybe this will get his attention." With the strength he could muster, he threw it at Slim, hitting him squarely.

"Hey!" He shouted.

"And now we run," Ryoma said, the three guys booking it. Leo went one way, where Xander and Ryoma went the other. Slim decided to chase after Leo, none of them knowing who Slim decided to chase.

* * *

Back outside with Team Garu, they all wondered where any of the other ghosts were. As they did so, Kagero heard the clopping of horse hooves. She turned to the sound.

"Everyone, someone's coming," She notified the group, and soon it was revealed the horse belonged to none other than Silas.

"Silas!" Sakura smiled upon seeing him. "What...what are you doing here?"

"Flash hired me on as added security in case some uninvited or unexpected guests come to cause trouble," Silas explained. "Speaking of, have any of you seen a pair of individuals that attacked Lord Leo? Around as tall as Lady Sakura, strange hairdos, weapons that expel some sort of white substance?"

"Can't say we have," Hinoka honestly answered.

" _I wonder who else in our group of friends Flash asked to help oversee the progression of this event. First Kaze who found out about Bowser's latest plan, and now Silas who gets rid of any unwanted intruders. Who's next, Azura?" -Hinoka_

Kagero paused, deciding to quickly scout the area around them. Once she returned, she said, "I believe I know the direction they were headed."

"You do?" Silas inquired.

"I noticed a pair of white footprint trails deeper into the woods west of here. Look there." Kagero reported.

"Thank you," Silas responded. "I'll go capture them right away." He rode off to go do so.

"So...did you see anything else that looked like ghosts?" Effie asked.

"Sadly I didn't," Kagero informed. "We'll just have to search elsewhere." The team decided to search elsewhere in Horror Land for the ghosts.

* * *

Back inside, Leo ran into Takumi and Camilla.

"There you two are!" Leo exclaimed. "I think I've got a ghost on my tail." As soon as he said that, Slim swung a pool cue at him, but Takumi shone his light on the ghost, allowing Camilla to get the capture.

"You're welcome for the save by the way," Takumi said.

"Appreciate it." Leo smirked. "Now where are Rinkah and Keaton…?"

The three then watched as the butler ghost zoomed past them with Rinkah and Keaton in how pursuit.

"Found them." Camilla watched them run past, with her, Takumi, and Leo joining in the chase.

 **Score**

Garu: 2 Ghosts

Bufu: 1 Ghost

Agi: 1 Ghost

* * *

Back with Xander and Ryoma, they found that Slim didn't chase after them. "I think he went after Leo…" Ryoma shook his head. Just then, Peri and Elise would catch up with them.

"Lord Xander~! We got a ghost!" Peri reported.

"You were right about Peri being reliable," Elise added. "Guess we should be glad to have her!"

"Indeed." Ryoma chuckled.

" _As we're going along in this game, I'm getting to know Xander better. It's not a mystery as to why I call us equals. It's not merely in combat strength, it's also in the authority and character we have as well." -Ryoma_

"So...seen any other ghosts?" Elise asked.

"Well, we did see one, but we're pretty sure it went after Leo instead." Xander informed.

"Aw…" Peri frowned. "There's gotta be more hiding out! Let's go find them!" Peri got all determined.

* * *

Back with Team Bufu, they finally caught up to the butler ghost in another room. He decided to take a seat...and light his rear end on fire.

"GAH! They don't pay me enough to do this!" He exclaimed.

"Better come with us then!" Keaton grinned, shining his light on the ghost. Camilla got to work making the catch, succeeding.

"Two down for us." Rinkah fistpumped. "Let's keep going!"

"I think I only saw three others...we're going to have to hurry. If we can catch two more, victory will be ours!" Leo added.

" _This is so exciting. We're going to win, even though Takumi likely should've been back at the fort resting. Thankfully he saved me from getting smashed over the head by one of the ghosts. I still wonder if voting him out will be best…" -Leo_

 **Score**

Garu: 2 Ghosts

Bufu: 2 Ghosts

Agi: 1 Ghost

* * *

Back with Team Garu, Hinoka caught up with Subaki as they searched. "So...about that ghost you caught with Sakura…"

"What is it, Lady Hinoka?" Subaki walked with her.

"Did she tell you anything interesting?" Hinoka wanted to know.

"Well, she told us that Bowser is going to be fought at the end," Subaki started. "And that she states there will be one of us Hoshidans and one of the Nohrians taking him on in a glorious battle."

"...And that's all?" Hinoka raised an eyebrow. "She didn't like, tell you who was going to be there?"

"No, she couldn't make out any faces," Subaki answered honestly.

Hinoka shook her head. "That's not gonna help at all."

" _Subaki gave me some very interesting information, saying there's going to be one Hoshidan and one Nohrian in the final two. I'd much rather it be two Hoshidans in the final two, and I want to be one of them. I got my work cut out for me." -Hinoka_

"It's the best she could do," Subaki defended. "And if anything, you know I would prefer a Hoshidan victory much like you would."

"Yeah, but I'd rather there be two Hoshidans in the final two instead of having our chances of winning be equal to the odds of a coin flip." Hinoka continued. "Think about it, Subaki."

Sakura listened to the whole conversation, having her head hung slightly during it all.

" _Hinoka i-is taking this contest way too seriously...I know she c-can be competitive, but...what I'd rather do is have fun. Oh, Elise...I don't know what to do…" -Sakura_

* * *

Back inside the mansion, the two teams inside would meet up outside another room.

"So…" Elise trailed off.

"It seems we found a pair of ghosts in this place," Ryoma said.

"And we found a few as well, brother." Takumi added.

"Think there'll be more in here?" Keaton gestured to the door.

Camilla and Peri locked eyes.

"You know Peri, I would be more than happy to help you in there," Camilla said. "Would you be willing to have it be just the two of us?"

"Of course! Just save some action for me!" Peri giggled, opening the door. "After you, Lady Camilla."

"Wait here, everyone," Camilla told the others, having a cheery expression. "Knowing us, this won't take long." Everyone waited as both Camilla and Peri entered the room, flashlights drawn and on.

Their search would show them that this room looked to belong to a pair of brothers, the elephant in the room being a helicopter mobile.

"How old are these boys?" Peri wondered, messing with the mobile. Two ghost boys, both blonde haired and one wearing red while the other wore purple, suddenly appeared.

"Hey lady, what're you doing there?" One of them asked.

"Say...why don't you play hide and seek with us?" The other added on.

"Do we have to?" Camilla rolled her eyes.

"I don't see any harm in it, Lady Camilla," Peri chimed.

"Yaaaay!" The boys cheered. "Okay, wait outside and we'll hide." The two ladies did as they were told.

"You girls find anything?" Xander quickly asked.

"No, they want to play hide and seek with u-" Camilla started.

"Okay! You can come in now!" One of the ghost boys called.

"Quickly! We'll get them!" Peri rushed in, and so did Camilla. Xander decided to follow them in, the trio seeing a group of five boxes.

"Are they hiding in these?" Xander whispered to Camilla.

"Of course," Camilla answered. After looking the boxes over, careful not to disturb them, Xander opened one of the boxes to reveal the red vested brother.

"Hey, not- what? Who're you!?" He exclaimed. "Hey Henry! These guys are cheaters!" Henry revealed himself.

"Aw, man! Let's get him, Orville!" The purple vested brother exclaimed, getting on a car. Orville got on a plane, and began to attack the group.

"Look alive, Lord Xander!" Peri shouted, trying to capture Henry. All she would accomplish is getting him away from his car, which would help her starting capturing him for real. While she dodged bombs, Camilla saw this and got the similar idea to do that to Orville, getting him away from his plane in order to make the catch.

"We are so NOT cheaters! Lord Xander walked in on his own accord." Peri folded her arms, pouting. "They never even told us any rules."

"Don't let it get you down, Peri," Xander reassured. "We still got one."

"There's really at most three left, at least one..." Camilla noted. "Might as well get searching. Best of luck, dear brother." Camilla took her leave of the room, going with her team to resume the search. Xander and Peri did the same thing with Elise and Ryoma.

" _Well, that was something...getting accused by a pair of ghost brothers who were no older than five of cheating. Peri did have a point, they didn't have any rules, and we can't break any rules without there being any in the first place. Ah...kids." -Xander_

 **Score**

Garu: 2 Ghosts

Bufu: 3 Ghosts

Agi: 2 Ghosts

* * *

Outside, Takumi and Keaton were searching for any ghosts when they spotted something inside of a doghouse. It was a ghostly bulldog that was just waiting for something, then noticed the pair.

"K-Keaton?" Takumi grimaced. "What do we do?"

"Relax, just lemme handle this," Keaton responded. He started walking over to the bulldog, reading the name on the doghouse. "Spooky, huh? You don't seem all that spooky."

Keaton would soon find that the dog was now biting down on his backside.

"YOW! Let go of me!" Keaton wailed out, trying to get Spooky off of him. Takumi was frozen in place, not sure what to do. To make matters worse, another ghost, this one a skeleton, popped out of the ground.

"Keep it down out here! I'm trying to get some sleep!" It yelled, causing Takumi to scream.

"WHEN'D YOU GET HERE!?" He exclaimed, shining his light on the skeleton.

"Takumi, get this thing off me!" Keaton yelled. The door leading back inside would swing open, the other members of his team arriving to the scene in front of them. Camilla, seeing the skeleton ghost's heart exposed, quickly went to capturing it and having it drop a bone. Spooky saw the bone and let go of Keaton, going to savor it.

"You alright, Keaton?" Rinkah rushed over to her teammate.

"I guess...but I'm gonna need a new pair of pants...and smallclothes." Keaton remarked. "Seriously, I liked these pants!"

"We could just buy another pair," Leo remarked.

"Buy? I don't go shopping," Keaton replied. "Normally I just get stuff off poachers and hope they fit.

"I...see." Leo sweatdropped. At this time, Camilla had captured Spooky.

"Whew. Thanks for letting us know where you were, boys," Camilla thanked both Takumi and Keaton. "Your screams of pain and fear acted like a beacon for us."

"You're welcome..." Takumi breathed a sigh of relief. They would soon hear a voice over a megaphone.

"Attention all players! All of the Portrait Ghosts have been captured! Please return to the start of the board for the results!" It was Silas's voice, prompting all the teams to head on back.

" _Well, this is embarrassing...I did manage to help somehow, but at what cost, really? I got my pants ripped. It's also gonna hurt to sit down for awhile but...I'll live." -Keaton_

* * *

Once all three teams congregated back at the start, they'd find that Flash and Silas were dragging the two Inklings that attacked Leo earlier towards the Dragon's Gate. It was worth noting that they were tied up, likely Silas's doing.

"Now lemme make one thing clear to you two, and anyone watching" Flash warned, gritting his teeth. "If you're not a boss, no one is allowed to harm my contestants ever. Consider this a warning. Next time someone shows their face around here looking for trouble, I'll give them a fate worse than death!" The two Inklings were too scared out of their minds to say anything as they were effortlessly tossed through the Dragon's Gate back where they came from. "AND TAKE YOUR GLORIFIED SUPER SOAKERS WITH YOU!" Flash added, throwing their weapons back as well.

"You good now?" Effie asked.

"Yeah...I am now." Flash let out a huff. "Just had to take out the trash. Gadd, if you could check the Poltergusts and tell everyone the results, that'd be great."

E. Gadd went to do just that. Once he was done, he stood by Flash.

"The results are in. Both Team Garu and Team Agi caught two of the Portrait Ghosts, while Team Bufu caught four. Team Bufu are the winners!" E. Gadd announced.

"Victory." Leo folded his arms with a smile. "I knew it'd be ours."

" _We won...yes! Now I'm not in danger of going home. Good thing too, because I don't think I got us any Bonus Stars. I'll just have to really work hard tomorrow to stay alive." -Takumi_

"Alright guys, you can head on back. Team Garu, Team Agi, stay here." Team Bufu headed on back once Flash prepared the Dragon's Gate.

"Erm, Flash? I think we're missing one." E. Gadd revealed.

"We're missing one? Who is it?" Flash asked.

"It's Number 22. Boolossus." E. Gadd revealed.

"...Great. Now we gotta-" They were suddenly cut off when a ring of fifteen Boos appeared.

"They've made it this far...oh, we're so frightened! I guess it's our turn then…" The Boos were conversing with one another. "All right, Boos, let us assume our real form...but first, how about giving them a little scare!"

"It's him!" E. Gadd exclaimed.

"Uh, guys? Two from each team. It's boss time, you know the drill." Flash quickly told them.

"I wonder if there's an afterlife for ghosts...lemme go find out!" Peri giggled.

"Lemme help!" Elise volunteered.

"I do not fear any ghosts. Allow me." Kagero stepped forward.

"U-Um…" Sakura wanted to go.

"Nuh-uh, you let me take care of them, sis." Hinoka shook her head, stepping forward as well. The four that stepped forward would find the fifteen Boos surround them. Some got nervous, others got excited as the Boos shot into the air.

* * *

 **BOSS BATTLE**

Peri vs. Elise vs. Kagero vs. Hinoka vs. Boolossus

Boolossus's Haunted Hostility

Description: Boolossus needs to chill out! Use Ice Flowers to freeze his watery barrier, then smash away at it any way you can.

Hint 1: Boolossus will split into his 15 separate Boos when desperate. Don't let him swarm you!

Hint 2: If you get hit by Boolossus when powered up, you'll need to grab another Ice Flower.

* * *

The group were in a plain field with Boolossus appearing in the background to the right, then to the left, before appearing right in front of them to try and give a jumpscare.

"Heeheehee! Let's see you harm me with this barrier!" Boolossus moved around, a barrier of water forming around him.

 **START!**

Boolossus started bouncing around the battlefield as the players began thinking how they were going to stop him. Ice Flowers began sprouting up, Peri going straight for one. By making contact with it, she was infused with the powerup.

"Ooh, what's this do?" Peri had an iceball form in her hand, and on a hunch threw it at Boolossus's barrier. It hit, freezing part of it and causing the boss to stop in its path.

"Grab those flowers!" Hinoka called to Kagero, going for one herself. Elise and Kagero did the same thing, with Peri punching away at the barrier.

Eventually Boolossus broke free and bounced around again, everyone trying to get an iceball to hit. Kagero would succeed in freezing Boolossus, allowing everyone to get back to wailing away on the barrier. With another freeze, the barrier would be broken.

"Grr...fine! Boos, we'll show them the strength of numbers!" Boolossus exclaimed, splitting back into 15 Boos.

 **Score**

Peri: 6

Elise: 3

Kagero: 4

Hinoka: 4

With the 15 Boos now flying around and trying to rush the players, they were more concerned with avoiding their charges. Elise threw an iceball at one of them, freezing the Boo in its place, hitting the ground.

"Yay!" Elise exclaimed. "Now what?"

"Smash 'em!" Peri shouted, crushing the Boo and literally shattering its afterlife. "I'm sure the professor won't mind."

"...Yeah, you're right." Elise agreed. Kagero and Hinoka caught on, trying to catch up with Peri, who was already tossing ice ball after ice ball in an attempt to shatter more of the Boos.

Hinoka smashed three in the process in an effort to keep up with Peri, but had a bit of a struggle when the Boos started dwindling and becoming faster in their movements.

Only two Boos were left after another minute and a half, and Peri was metaphorically smelling blood. Elise and Kagero did a good job trying to keep the pace, the latter smashing another Boo.

However, Peri was already ahead of the others when it came to the last Boo.

"I'm feeling stabby!" She was indeed as she finished the job by stomping on the last Boo with her stilettoed boots. With all 15 Boos shattered, Boolossus was nothing more than ice chunks on the ground.

 **FINISH!**

 **Final Score**

Peri: 11 (Plus 3 Final Strike)

Elise: 6

Kagero: 8

Hinoka: 7

* * *

"Good! That's done!" Flash was relieved. "Er...sorry about Boolossus, Gadd…"

"Oh, think nothing of it," E. Gadd responded. "Boolossus was the reason King Boo staged that portraitbreak all that time ago. Plus I thought he was a bit boring in comparison."

"Well then, nothing left to say. Team Agi, you guys are safe. Enjoy the night off." Flash informed.

"Excellent work, Peri." Xander congratulated. "Elise, you were good too."

"Teeheehee! I aim only to please!" Peri blushed.

"Keep this up and nothing will stop us." Ryoma noted, leading the way back to the fort.

" _We've won again, even though we didn't finish first. I'm worried for my sisters since they're on the losing team again. However, they are in the majority. I have full confidence they'll survive the Elimination Ceremony." -Ryoma_

"Team Garu, I'm afraid it's back to the basement for another Elimination Ceremony. You've got till the sun sets to figure out who's getting the boot. See you then." Flash finished, the group going back through the Dragon's Gate.

* * *

Sakura was meeting with Hinoka, discouraged that they lost again.

"I tried my best, sis…" Hinoka apologized. "But Peri has murder come as a second nature for her!"

"Y-Yeah…" Sakura meekly responded.

"Anyway, clean cut, Effie's going. Four votes is more than enough. I'm gonna go tell Kagero," Hinoka said, leaving to go do that. Sakura slumped her shoulders.

" _I-I know we have the majority...but, Effie's strong...we need her...I don't understand w-why Hinoka doesn't want to keep her…" -Sakura_

Elise would walk in after Hinoka left, making sure to close the door behind her as quietly as she could. "Hey Sakura...upset your team lost again?" She asked.

"Mhm...Hinoka wants to vote...Effie…" Sakura answered.

"What? Why would she want to do that?" Elise was shocked. "All you'd need is three to hold majority!"

"Subaki b-brought that up…" Sakura mentioned. "Hinoka responded...by saying Subaki had r-rocks in his head."

"Hmm…" Elise thought. "Well, here's my thoughts. I think Kagero should be voted out. I'll talk with Effie just before the vote to make sure she doesn't spoil the surprise. All you have to do is get Subaki on board, and Effie stays in. Simple."

Sakura slightly shook her head. "A-Anno...but you know that Kagero is my b-brother's retainer...he won't be happy if she's voted out."

"I see...but I know Ryoma, Sakura. I know that Ryoma can be a fair and understanding guy. All you've got to do is explain to him how you're feeling and he won't hold it against you." Elise continued.

"You really think he'd be okay with it?" Sakura looked at Elise.

"...Maybe?" Elise rubbed her temples. "Look, if Effie gets voted out, fine by me. This is just a game, and I shouldn't take her getting eliminated as a personal attack. No one should feel the same. And besides, if Subaki's still around, you'll have him for the advantage Flash mentioned."

"T-True…" Sakura nodded.

"Hey, just vote with your heart tonight," Elise recommended. "I won't force you to do something you don't want to do. That's what friends aren't for after all. Just something to think about." After a hug, Elise left the room.

Outside, Kagero just got done conversing with Hinoka about the vote. Afterwards, out of the corner of her eye she spotted the shadow of a female figure. Following it, she found that it only led to a wall.

"Interesting," Kagero quipped.

"Hey, what're you lookin' at?" Effie asked.

"Nothing," Kagero answered.

" _Well, that was odd...I could've sworn someone was there. I don't have much time, but if I make it through the vote tonight I'll investigate into this matter further." -Kagero_

Just before the vote, Subaki entered Sakura's room. "Lady Sakura? Is something the matter?"

"Yeah...I-I am...torn." Sakura timidly answered.

Subaki shut the door behind him. "Well, why don't you tell me what's troubling you? I won't tell a soul about this conversation."

Sakura sighed. "Um...well, Hinoka wants to vote Effie out, and...and Elise wants me to v-vote Kagero…"

"So you're working with Lady Elise?" Subaki asked.

"Well, no...err, I dunno…" Sakura responded. "I just...I don't know what to do."

"It's fine," Subaki reassured. "To be quite honest with you, your sister is taking this contest a bit too seriously."

"I know she wants to win, b-but...I don't know if she's having fun…" Sakura added.

"Lady Sakura, might I say something?" Subaki requested, his liege giving a quick nod. "I've been thinking about what Madame Clairvoya told us earlier about the Hoshidan and Nohrian that will fight Bowser, and it got me thinking. I really don't mind which one of us it is in the end. If it's you, that's great. If it's not, I can only hope that I'll be the one there to give Bowser a thrashing that can only be described as perfection. I know, going up against someone like him is a really scary thing. But just remember that no matter who you align yourself with, no matter who you vote for, and no matter what your game plan is, know that I will always be here to support you. And no, I'm not just saying this because I'm your retainer, but because I think of us as more than that. As...friends, even."

Sakura had a soft smile on her face as she hugged Subaki. He returned the favor.

"Thank you...thank you, really. Um...I think I know what I want to do now." Sakura then whispered something in Subaki's ear. What it was, no one can really tell.

Everyone in Team Garu headed downstairs to the Elimination Ceremony, Effie bringing up the rear.

" _The only person who talked to me today about anything vote wise was Lady Elise. She wants me to vote out Kagero, and I said 'Whatever makes you happy.' No one else talked with me, so I'm nervous that it's going to be me walking up those steps out of here." -Effie_

* * *

Once the sun had set, Team Garu had arrived in the basement for the vote. Once again, Flash was present on the screen.

"Welcome back, everyone," Flash greeted. "Second time in a row...what happened today?"

"We were looking in the wrong places for the ghosts," Effie said. "We couldn't find any outside of the one Subaki and Lady Sakura found, and the one I took on myself."

"It's clear we're lacking any sort of unity in this team," Hinoka chimed. "If we can just get that, then we won't come back here again."

"Subaki, would you say there's any truth to that?" Flash inquired.

"Of course," Subaki responded. "I'll say that tensions are a bit high since people are getting rather competitive. Myself and Lady Sakura aren't taking this too personally."

"So would you say that's why you're down here a second time?" Flash asked in a counter.

"Absolutely not." Subaki shook his head. "It's as Lady Hinoka said, we merely lack unity."

"Kagero, what's your take on the back to back losses?" Flash inquired.

"From my standpoint, I'd have to agree with both Lady Hinoka and Subaki. They're both right on the lack of unity and the tensions. It's as if a storm is brewing around us all." Kagero explained.

"Sakura, what about you?" Flash was curious.

"Um...I just think...that we're all a bit w-wound up and getting a bit...competitive...we're supposed to be f-friends." Sakura put her opinion forth.

"But we all want to win, Sakura," Hinoka countered. "Your brothers want to win, I want to win, Subaki wants to win it for you...just saying."

"Effie. Would you say the competitive spirit in this game is bringing you guys closer together, or would you say it's making cracks in the bonds you've forged?" Flash questioned.

"Really, judging by the conversations here, I think it's doing a little bit of both." Effie answered. "Sakura over here doesn't seem to share the sentiment of winning with her sister, but on the other hand she's a real sweetheart. How could anyone hate her?"

"Alright. Nothing much really left to say. It is, time to vote. Effie, you're up." Flash said.

Outside the fortress, the crowd was still getting bigger with each passing night, Azura watching from a monitor. "It seems that Team Garu does have a storm brewing, one of treachery and wavering emotions. Hello everyone, and welcome to tonight's Elimination Ceremony." The monitor showed Effie in the voting booth. "Effie has been told by Elise to vote Kagero. This vote shouldn't be too eventful."

"Hello Effie! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"If Lady Elise wanted it, might as well give it to her. I vote to eliminate Kagero." Effie voted.

"Thanks, you can go on back." Effie did so, passing Kagero in the hall.

"Kagero suspects that a storm is brewing. How accurate is she in that regard?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Kagero! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"My vote is simple. I vote to eliminate Effie." Kagero voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Kagero left the booth, passing Hinoka in the hall.

"Hinoka is playing quite aggressively. It'll be interesting to see what her next move will be." Azura mused.

"Hello Hinoka! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate Effie. It's gotta happen." Hinoka voted.

"Thanks, you can go on back." Hinoka got up and left the booth, passing Sakura in the hall.

"Sakura is torn on who to vote with, her sister or her best friend. Her vote should be very interesting." Azura commented.

"Hello Sakura! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"U-Um...I, hope you forgive me Ryoma but...I-I vote to eliminate Kagero…" Sakura voted.

"Thanks, you can go on back." Sakura got up and left the booth, passing Subaki in the hall.

"Subaki has pledged full loyalty to Sakura, though will he be more loyal to her, or Hoshido?" Azura pondered.

"Hello Subaki! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"I vote with Lady Sakura, and with a heavy heart, I must vote to eliminate Kagero. I hope you can understand, Lord Ryoma." Subaki voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Subaki left the booth and went back with to the others.

"With Subaki's vote, Kagero's fate has been sealed. Now we turn it over to Flash to reveal the results." Azura said.

"Alright Team Garu. The votes are in." Flash began. "Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe. Those people are...Sakura, Subaki, and Hinoka."

Hinoka wasn't surprised, and Subaki put a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"By a vote, of 3 to 2...Effie, you...are safe. It's official Kagero. You have been eliminated from Fates Party."

The news came like a punch in the gut for Hinoka, and Kagero as well. Sakura let out a sigh of sadness and Effie a sigh of relief.

"Wha...what happened?" Hinoka asked with shock.

Kagero bowed her head. "A storm is indeed brewing...I can only hope Lord Ryoma can survive it without me…" She gathered her things and went up the staircase. She was met with cheers when she stepped out on stage and sat down across from Azura.

"It's nice to see you again, Kagero," Azura began the conversation. "You clearly didn't expect that to happen, did you?"

"Not at all." Kagero shook her head. "I thought the vote would have gone 4-1, and Effie would be here in my place."

"What do you think was the cause of that?" Azura asked.

"Hate to say it...but I think Lady Sakura flipped on us. That's the only possibility." Kagero explained. "Her timid behavior, her having a bit of a disagreement with Lady Hinoka on the game itself...Lord Ryoma is not going to be happy with this infighting within his own family."

"How do you think Ryoma will do without you?" Azura wondered.

"My liege will be just fine without me," Kagero answered. "Being the king of Hoshido my vote would only be a luxury he can afford to live without."

"I see. As for the rest of your family, suppose they all make it to the merge. Do you think they'll be able to mend bridges?" Azura questioned.

"Obviously. Families have their disagreements on things but at the end of the day they work them out." Kagero responded.

"Here's hoping that the tension won't stay after the game is over. Thank you for playing, Kagero." Azura thanked, another round of cheers in store for Kagero as she left the stage.

Arriving at the house, Kagero would find Azama was back at his usual spot.

"Hello Kagero. Your defeat struck from the shadows, didn't it?" Azama lightheartedly asked.

"You could say that," Kagero plainly responded, going to get settled in.

(And...scene! First #Blindside of the game, and it only took us six votes to have it happen!...You be the judge if this was a blindside or not.

Now here's the thing with Kagero. I don't really 'hate' hate her, my opinion just isn't very positive. I think Kagero is a good unit and everything, but the problem is she's a discount Peko Pekoyama in my opinion, and Pekoyama is a badass. I know she can make Kiragi a monster and all, but...that's about it for me. Don't really like her, don't really hate her. She's just really...meh.

Additionally, I'm posting this on like, a day or so before I go back to school, so if everything works out the way I hope it will, we'll have a bit more frequent updates! Hype!

And now, a quick announcement regarding the future of this on Devianart...the thing is, it's such a pain to format this thing on there, and this episode is over 30 pages long. I wouldn't be surprised if this episode is in the 5 digits range of word count. So that being said, I have an alternative. Instead of the episodes, I will instead take a page out of TJBambi93's book and instead post episode teasers on my Deviantart instead. Y'know, to build hype for upcoming episodes since I have all my energy and attention devoted to this. I will get back to my other projects, but first I want to finish this one since I'm having so much fun with this one.

Anyway, next time we'll **do what we want because pirates are free** , and see how the family drama in the Hoshido household gets resolved. Stay tuned!)


	8. Episode 7: You Are A Pirate!

(So this is our last pre-merge episode in Fates Party everyone! I hope you can make some winner predictions because I'm curious to see who you want to see walk away with the title of Superstar! Also, that twist regarding royals and retainers? It will be explained next episode. So look forward to that!

Now it's time to slather on sunscreen and get to enjoying the stock fanservice episode. Are you ready to go a little crazy? Me too, let's do it!)

 **Episode 7: You Are A Pirate!**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _Subaki despaired about his bad performance in Airship Central, Takumi came to, and Xander learned from Elise that Hinoka is calling the shots on Team Garu._

 _The gang traveled to Horror Land, where the teams were tasked with rounding up the Portrait Ghosts that Bowser set loose to ruin the group's fun._

 _Team Bufu won the challenge, leaving Peri, Elise, Kagero, and Hinoka to step up and do battle with Boolossus, with Peri coming out on top - maybe because murder is second nature to her - and saved Team Agi from voting anyone out, sending Team Garu to their second Elimination Ceremony._

 _Before the vote, Hinoka wanted to eliminate Effie, but Sakura wasn't sure about voting with her sister. Elise suggested that Kagero be eliminated instead. With Subaki at her side, Sakura knew she was the swing vote._

 _In the end, Sakura chose to go with Elise's suggestion and sent Kagero out the door in a 3-2 decision. 13 are left. Who will be the next partygoer sent packing? Read and find out!_

 **Team Garu: Effie, Hinoka, Sakura, Subaki**

 **Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton**

 **Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma**

* * *

Hinoka was completely shocked when Team Garu returned to their rooms, and she knew exactly who flipped.

" _Why? Why would my own sister turn her back on me!? The vote was supposed to be easy 4-1, but no. I swear, when I find who gave her the idea, it is going to be on!" -Hinoka_

She shoved the door to Sakura's room open, finding her sister hugging a pillow with tears in her eyes and Subaki rubbing her shoulders.

"You!" Hinoka exclaimed. This made Sakura jump a little, and Subaki to stand up.

"Now Lady Hinoka, I know how this looks but please hear us out," He responded.

"Don't 'I know how this looks' me!" Hinoka slammed the door behind her. "Why did you two flip? We're supposed to be family, Sakura! Family has to stick together."

Sakura looked down at the floor, tears in her eyes. "I...I…"

"Lady Hinoka, you're making my liege uncomfortable," Subaki warned. "Please. You are family, but family does not go ordering others around like they are their subordinates."

"I…" Hinoka started, but let out a long sigh. "You're right…" She sat down next to Sakura. "Sis, I'm...I'm sorry if it seems like I'm bossing you around. I really want to win, and I want to win with my family and fellow countrymen. I just...I want what's best for the both of us. Since we've never been in a situation like this, I don't know how I'm supposed to act."

"R-Really…?" Sakura looked up at Hinoka. Hinoka nodded, wiping tears off her sister's cheeks.

"Really and truly," Hinoka answered. "Understand? I still love you with all of my heart Sakura, but I need you to cooperate with me. You, me, and Subaki here? We're an alliance I guess, so of course we need to stick together."

" _Hinoka and I...we had a little heart to heart, and um...a-all she wanted was what she thought was...best for me i-in her eyes. When you think about it...it's kind of n-nice of her to do." -Sakura_

"A-Alright...but please don't be so mean again...okay?" Sakura requested.

"Promise." Hinoka nodded.

* * *

With Team Bufu, Leo found a bottle of ketchup in his room with a note attached. "What have we here…'Dear Leo, I apologize for the Inklings attacking you at Horror Land today. I always felt Pearl was a sore loser, but I didn't think some of those fighting with her in the Splatfest would be like her. To make up for it, I'll give you this bottle of ketchup. Don't use it all in one place. From, Flash.'"

" _Flash left a bottle of ketchup in my room as a way to make up for me being attacked today. He didn't have to do it, but he did it anyway. He cares about us at the end of the day; I'm glad to have him as our host." -Leo_

Elsewhere, Rinkah and Keaton were conversing with one another. "You know, I've noticed we haven't lost a single challenge ever since we voted off Azama." Keaton mused.

"About that vote Keaton, there's something I wanted to tell you that I never got around to," Rinkah mentioned. "Y'see, I kinda let Takumi vote for me that night, since he didn't want to go against his sister."

Keaton was silent as he processed that. "...Okay."

"But if you think about it, Takumi's kinda in the middle of the pack here on this team. He could very well align with the Nohrian royals and vote one of us out." Rinkah added.

"Yeesh...you think he'd stay with Nohr?" Keaton asked.

"Not a chance," Rinkah responded. "You know how wary he was of Nohrians before?"

"How bad was it?" Keaton raised an eyebrow.

"It was...bad, and let's just not pry any further. But anyway, if we do have to go to another Elimination Ceremony, why not we make the case to vote him out?" Rinkah suggested. "He's in the middle and in a very dangerous position."

"You're a genius!" Keaton grinned. "Let's do that."

" _It just dawned on me that Takumi is in a VERY dangerous position on our team. We've got to get rid of him if we lose again - which I'm sure we won't!" -Keaton_

* * *

Meanwhile with Team Agi, the four of them were wondering what they would do next.

"I think, that the four of us should stick together," Peri suggested. "We're a pretty strong group."

"I was thinking the same thing," Ryoma said. "Although this would mean going against our families, Xander…"

"That is something I'm well aware of," Xander replied. "I've already accepted the fact that if I'm with my siblings in the final four, I'll have to turn on them eventually."

"Haven't we all?" Elise rolled her eyes. "And besides, it's nothing personal anyway. Even if we were to do that Xander, I'd still love you like my brother."

" _We've been quite relaxed in this contest, and I am starting to see Ryoma less and less like my rival and more like a friend. If we were to be eliminated, I'd rather we be the ones to do it to each other, rather than scheming behind the other's back." -Xander_

"Yeah! It's all in good fun," Peri giggled. "We're not really stabbing each other in the back, after all. Especially since all the knives where we eat aren't metal at all."

"Thankfully…" Elise quietly murmured.

* * *

The next morning, everyone met up outside, this time donned in different attire. For the royals, they were all donned in the attire they wore for the Beach Brawl DLC, except Leo just had the swimsuit. As for the others, they were decked out in standard Hoshidan and Nohrian swimwear. Flash was seen in a gray polo tee and dark blue swim trunks.

"Team Bufu, Team Agi, getting your first look at the new Team Garu. Kagero voted out at the last Elimination Ceremony." Flash said.

Ryoma bowed his head with a frown.

"Well, I see you all got the memo about today's challenge," Flash added, smiling. He held a clipboard and checked something off on a list that was on the clipboard. The title? Stock Episodes To Do. The Beach Episode was one of them.

"I hope you have a good reason for this," Leo frowned, unamused.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Flash responded. "It has to do with today's challenge. Follow me through the Dragon's Gate everyone!" The group followed Flash, curious where he was taking them this time.

When they arrived, the group would find themselves at a sunny beach like location set on a peninsula with many Piantas.

"Treasure on the far isle! Pirates on the prowl! Blasting cannons! It's time to run the gauntlet in Goomba's Booty Boardwalk!" Flash exclaimed.

"..." Leo glared at Flash, flipping him off.

" _Today we're at the beach! Why couldn't we go somewhere else other than this? A hot springs would've been fine for me. But no, we're here. Ugh, this brings back memories of the time we fought over that stupid ticket..." -Leo_

"Oh, don't be upset!" Peri told Leo, doing a slight hop. Elise looked at Peri, then at Camilla, then at herself.

" _...How in the...Peri, she's...were they always hidden under her armor? What? You think I'm envious? No I'm not! I wanna grow up to be like my sister. To be all mature looking and stuff, y'know?" -Elise_

"Yeah, I think Flash is giving us today to relax," Subaki added.

"Whatever." Takumi folded his arms. "Let's just get to the challenge."

"I wonder if this is why Flash wanted to see us in swimwear…" Camilla mused. "Or maybe he's just pleased to see me?"

"That, and it's mainly for the ratings." Flash answered honestly. "I've been trained not to nosebleed at the sight of fanservice, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it."

"Ah, I had a sneaking suspicion." Camilla laughed a little, striking a pose for the cameras.

"So um...w-what're we doing today?" Sakura curiously asked.

"Today you're going to be running the gauntlet here on the boardwalk. Specifically, you'll be racing to the end to Captain Goomba, and the first team to get there wins immunity. However...due to some negotiation I had to make with him, in order to win, you'll have to find a Star anywhere on the boardwalk." Flash explained.

"Fine," Leo folded his arms.

"Today's prize, along with immunity...is ketchup." Flash said.

"Ketchup?" Subaki blinked.

"And suddenly, I don't hate being here," Leo perked up. "Bring me my booty!"

"Yeah. Nothing left to say! Happy hunting, everyone!" Flash sent them off to get the job done. As they left, Flash was humming to himself a familiar tune. "Do what you want cause a pirate is free, you are a pirate~"

" _Another race, but we'll need a Star in order to win. I have full confidence we'll win today, so long as the girls don't take too long enjoying their fun in the sun." -Xander_

* * *

Team Garu hit the beach and began searching for a Star. Subaki immediately began scouting around for any sort of dangers, and Sakura began walking around aimlessly, enjoying the solace of the area.

" _We're at a r-really nice place today...I think that if I find a Star I'll take it, but...after last night, I just want to relax…and eat fruit." -Sakura_

This left Hinoka and Effie doing most of the searching. Effie walked up to a beach lounge chair, turning it over and began digging. She didn't seem to notice that there was a pink Pianta in said lounge chair, who fell face first in the sand.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" The Pianta grumpily asked.

"Oh, sorry about that," Effie apologized. "I'm busy looking for a Star." The Pianta didn't have any real answer for that, taking the lounge chair and dragging it off somewhere else.

"Ugh, you'd think that the Star would be in a more obvious place," Hinoka grumbled. "At least we won't have to worry about money this time…"

" _I remember the last time I let my retainers pack for me when I went on a beach vacation. I actually had to get a job while there because they forgot to pack me any money. Yeah, that's going to be the last time I ever let them pack for me." -Hinoka_

* * *

Team Bufu had similar ideas, but opted to search for less obvious places than under the sand. Takumi didn't look very enthused to be here.

" _I don't look like I'm very excited...but the truth is...I always wanted to go to a beach like this. The sun, the waves...this is paradise! Don't tell anyone I said that, okay? Wait, this is going to be aired to a lot of people...crap." -Takumi_

"So if I were a Star, where would I want to be hidden?" Rinkah wondered aloud.

"Keaton here has a nose for treasure, right?" Leo mused. "We could let him lead us to any sort of Star we come across."

"You think I could?" Keaton grinned. "I won't let you down!" As Keaton began searching, Rinkah followed after him, leaving the royals to wait for their return.

"Hmm...what do you think, Leo?" Camilla mused.

"Think about what?" Leo inquired.

"Why you sent off Keaton to search for the Star we need," Camilla explained. "Why did you do that?"

"Other than the fact he's a wolfskin, Keaton has shown to know some things about the Hint Giver that could prove threatening to our alliance later down the road." Leo responded. "So, if we lose today, I could easily shift the blame over to Keaton and get Takumi to vote with us."

"Clever." Camilla complimented. "But uh...speaking of Takumi, where'd he go?"

Takumi wandered off to go searching for the Star on his own. He wanted to win for his team today real bad. So bad in fact he didn't seem to notice something got caught on his trunks.

"Huh?" He looked down to see a fishing hook get caught on his swim trunks. As he tried to remove it, he was suddenly lifted up into the air and tossed into the ocean by a blue Pianta who was fishing.

"I hope I get a big one!" The Pianta beamed. Takumi writhed around in the water, frantically trying to get himself free.

"Oh? Is that a fish? Or is that just my tummy rumbling?" The Pianta wondered, reeling his line in. After a few seconds, he had reeled the sopping wet Hoshidan prince in. Breathing heavily, Takumi glared at the guy that fished him up.

"Get this hook off of me!" Takumi yelled, turning around to show the hook stuck in his pants.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The Pianta apologized, unhooking Takumi.

" _Ugh...I just got used as bait on a fishing line...but I did see something glimmer under the waters as I was being reeled back in. Maybe it was a Star, so I'll have to look later...once I'm not completely drenched." -Takumi_

"Eh, I'm sure he's fine," Leo guessed.

* * *

As with Team Agi, they stuck to the beginning of the boardwalk when they spotted a large amount of fruit and a simple kitchen knife. Peri's eyes immediately drifted to the knife. A blue Pianta spotted this.

"Hello there," He greeted. "I could use some help. I've got to get all this fruit cut...but I'm a bit unable to do that."

"Why is that?" Ryoma wondered.

"I cut my hand." The Pianta showed them his right hand, which was bandaged up.

"Lord Xander, may I help?" Peri pleaded.

"Well, I don't see any harm in it," Xander answered.

"Yay!" Peri instantly took up the knife and started cutting the fruits, juices spurting from them on her other teammates.

" _Even though we're getting covered in fruit juice, Peri looked really skilled when it came to the fruit. She wasn't randomly stabbing or slicing it up, she was instead being swift and accurate with the cutting. And then came that watermelon…" -Elise_

The last fruit that needed cutting was a watermelon, prompting Peri to start searching for a bigger knife.

" _Yeah, I'm really good when it comes to preparing food! I had to teach myself since I always thought one of the servants would try and poison me. Well, that's not the only thing I taught myself how to do. But I'm not telling~!" -Peri_

Once she found a bigger knife, she raised it up above her head as high as her arms would allow, and took a downward swing.

The end result was watermelon juice getting on all four of them, but there was something shiny instead the fruit.

"Hey guys, look what I found!" Peri squeed. The shiny thing was…

A Star!

"...How did that get in there?" Xander blinked in astonishment.

"Who cares!? Now we can take our time getting to the finish!" Elise eagerly grabbed the Star and began to skip off with it. Ryoma gave Xander as a shrug as he followed after her and Peri.

" _Interesting turn of events...who in their right mind would leave something like a Star in a watermelon? To be fair, not much has made sense since we got here, so I'll have to learn to accept the madness." -Ryoma_

* * *

Back with Sakura, Subaki returned to her.

"Ah! Subaki...w-what's the result of your scouting?" Sakura asked.

"I've combed the beach up and down, and I can safely confirm that there aren't any dangers here," Subaki proudly responded. "Well, other than this one thing…"

"Oh?" Sakura's curiosity peaked.

"There were these three Goomba with bandannas that shot me out of a cannon back to where we started," Subaki continued. He showed Sakura several scrapes he had sustained on his arms and legs, causing his liege to wince. "But don't worry. I'll be just fine."

"I-I hope so…" Sakura murmured.

Effie and Hinoka soon met up after a while of digging. "You find anything?" Hinoka asked.

Effie shook her head. "'Fraid not."

"Ah, man!" Hinoka folded her arms. The two of them then heard a familiar laugh. "Wait a minute…"

Standing on a lifeguard tower nearby stood Bowser, laughing boisterously.

"Bwahaha!" Bowser exclaimed. "Ready for some REAL fun in the sun? Then feel the burn!"

However, neither Hinoka nor Effie were amused. "You!" Effie bellowed. "I will not allow you to harm Lady Elise on my watch!"

"Or what?" Bowser smirked. "Still feeling tough without that tin can you usually wear?"

"Shut up!" Hinoka snapped. "What're you even planning on accomplishing out of this? There's nothing to gain out of trying to ruin our fun other than to make yourself look like a massive killjoy!"

"I'm only here to make things more interesting," Bowser explained. "AND that one time Mario and his loser friends DIDN'T INVITE ME!"

"You'd be the last person I'd want to invite to a party!" Hinoka countered. "And given what you've done so far, I can see why they wouldn't!"

"Why you little-!" But before Bowser could start attacking Hinoka, the tower he stood on began rocking back and forth. He looked down to see Effie trying to rip part of it off. He tried to stop her, but the damage had already been done. Effie had succeeding in ripping off a section of wood, causing the tower to fall backwards and collapse.

" _This is partially why I wanted Effie out. If we merge, she's going to be a huge threat by winning all the challenges. There's also that advantage she'll share with Elise, and I have no idea what it is. That's why she's gotta go." -Hinoka_

* * *

Back with Team Bufu, Keaton and Rinkah were scouring the boardwalk for any sort of Star, when they came across a shipwreck.

"Beached shipwreck!" Keaton called out. They saw a Goomba pirate standing out front, looking disgruntled.

"Argh, I can't find anything in here!" The Goomba complained. "Shipwrecks are supposed to have plunder in them!"

"Maybe my friend here could look for you," Rinkah suggested. The Goomba got a good look at Keaton.

"You? Find treasure? Don't make me laugh!" The Goomba guffawed. "Fine then! Knock yourself out."

" _Leo said I could find treasure, so I'm going to show him exactly what I can do! I've already got a good nose for it. I got lucky earlier, so let's see what I can add to my collection!" -Keaton_

Keaton ran inside the shipwreck, eagerly searching for whatever treasure he could gather. After a minute or two of waiting, the wolfskin would return with several various items in his arms.

"Look! Treasure!" Keaton grinned, placing all of his findings on the ground. However, none of the things he found could really be considered treasure. Rinkah facepalmed, and the Goomba was laughing himself sick from this.

"Keaton, that's not treasure," Rinkah bluntly stated. "That's just stuff you want. I mean, why would a broken spyglass be treasure?"

"Oh come on!" Keaton defended. "This stuff would fit in perfectly with my collections."

Rinkah groaned. "I'll go take a look myself." So Rinkah went inside the shipwreck, looking for what could really be considered treasure. After searching for a while, she stumbled across a small treasure chest and brought it back outside.

"What the? How did you- agh, I can't complain. Keep it, lass," The Goomba sighed. "And your friend can keep all the pieces of eight he found." The last part was sarcasm as Rinkah cracked open the chest. Inside were quite a few coins, and something else. It was, of course, a Star!

"Woo!" Keaton cheered. "Nice job, Rinkah!"

" _I get that Keaton can be really scatterbrained sometimes, but really? Out of all the things he could've grabbed, he decided to go with a broken spyglass and some dirty clothes? Well, hopefully he finds a replacement for the seat of his pants…" -Rinkah_

* * *

Back with Team Agi, Elise would run into Sakura, who watched as Subaki continued his search for Stars.

"Hey, Sakura!" Elise waved.

"A-Ah! Elise…" Sakura jumped.

"There's nothing to worry about, Sister," Ryoma spoke. "What are you up to?"

"Um...well, we're l-looking for Stars and...we're not having much luck…" Sakura honestly answered.

"Hmm...hey Xander, can I help Sakura? Please?" Elise requested.

"We already have what we need to win. Why are you getting side-tracked?" Xander stood firm, only for Elise to start making a pouting face, which eventually got Xander to cave. "Alright, fine. But hurry back."

"Yay! Thank you!" Elise cheered. "C'mon, Sakura! We'll find one in no time!"

"I...I hope you're right…" Sakura meekly responded.

So the two girls started to search, coming across a dolphin who appeared in the water next to where they were standing.

"Hey! I know a place where there's treasure better than Cap'n Goomba's stinky stuff. Hop on!" The Dolphin requested.

Elise eagerly got on the Dolphin's back, but Sakura was hesitant.

"U-Um...are you sure we can trust this?" She asked.

"Oh come on! I'll hold onto you so you won't fall off," Elise reassured. "Besides, I want to help you win. We're in this together, remember?" Sakura gave a nod, getting on the back of the Dolphin. The Dolphin went slow for the girls, Elise giggling happily as they went through the water. The girls would arrive at a small isle with a red treasure chest on the other side.

"There's gotta be a Star in there," Elise said. "Ready? I'll walk up there with you."

"T-Thank you…" Sakura smiled. The two then walked up to the chest.

" _Elise is...I think I've s-said this before but...she's a really nice ally...I-I want to go to the end with her...I hope." -Sakura_

Two Goomba statues were next to the chest. A voice from one of them was clearly heard.

"Wha- Who's there? Who DARES disturb our slumber! The Gods needs their beauty sleep!" The voice boomed.

Sakura flinched. "A-Anno...we do…"

"Princess Elise of Nohr and Princess Sakura of Hoshido do dare," Elise responded, not shaken.

"Princesses?" The voice sounded confused. "Shouldn't you be waiting for a pair of plumbers to save you?"

"What? We're not damsels in distress!" Elise put her hands on her hips.

"Y-Yeah...we're not that…" Sakura added.

"It _is_ Thursday, after all…" The voice thought aloud.

"...Really?" Sakura blinked in confusion. "That's oddly specific…"

"Well, now that you two are here, what should we do with you...Ah, just take this and go!" The voice had the chest open, and out popped a Star!

"Yay!" Elise cheered, handing it to Sakura.

"Now get out of here before we force you out!" The voice exclaimed, causing the two to run back to the Dolphin that brought them to the isle, bringing them back to the boardwalk.

* * *

Back with the other three members of Team Garu, Sakura and Elise found that Bowser was being carried away by Koopas, who were all in a hurry to get away from someone. That someone being Effie.

"And if you ever try harming Lady Elise again, I won't hold back on you!" Effie shouted, shaking a fist at him.

"I'll remember this! Ow…" Bowser responded.

"Uh...w-what exactly happened when I was gone, Subaki?" Sakura requested.

"Oh, from my understanding Bowser showed up to try and cause trouble for Lady Hinoka and Effie, but Effie took down the tower that our spiked turtle shell...ahem, 'friend' was standing on." Subaki explained.

"I...see…" Sakura wasn't surprised in the slightest, but still held onto the Star that Elise gave her.

"Where did you find that?" Hinoka noticed the Star's shine.

"Um...well, I f-found this island and there was a um…treasure chest with a Star in it…" Sakura told her sister.

"Sakura, that's amazing! Let's go, guys!" Hinoka told the other two. "We've got to win this challenge!" With that, the four took off, Elise following at a distance to catch up with her team.

* * *

Back with Camilla and Leo, they finally found Takumi, who didn't look too happy.

"Takumi!" Camilla exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

"I got used as a fishing lure. You?" Takumi responded, noticing Leo's back was getting red.

"While we were searching for you, I've been getting burnt," Leo stated.

"You poor things…" Camilla frowned, spotting a kiosk nearby. "Wait here, but please find some shade."

The two did as they were told, sitting under a beach umbrella as they waited.

" _I don't think Leo gets too much sunlight. Well...given where he's from this doesn't surprise me, but I also think he doesn't go outside all that much. Not that I'm worried about him. He's fine." -Takumi_

When Camilla returned, she brought a towel for Takumi and a blue cloak for Leo that would cover his sunburnt back.

"Did you buy these for us?" Leo asked.

"Of course I did," Camilla answered. "With my own money of course. Now, there was this other interesting thing on sale...some 'SNES Classic', whatever that is."

"How much was it going for?" Takumi was curious, drying himself off in the process.

"An absurd price." Camilla folded her arms. "She said she bought it and was reselling it for anyone who didn't get to get one for themselves...but then I asked 'With a price like that, who in their right mind would buy it?'"

"Someone either desperate enough or completely stupid," Leo deadpanned.

At this time, Keaton and Rinkah found the three. "Hey guys! Rinkah found a Star!" It was also worth noting that he was carrying all the 'treasure' he had taken as well.

"Wonderful." Takumi smiled. "Now come on, we haven't got a moment to lose! We need to get to Captain Goomba and fast!" With that, the group rushed towards the northern end of the boardwalk, Leo wincing from his sunburn.

" _I can't look weak in front of the other three, since Camilla and I need to survive this round. Once we reunite with Xander and Elise, the rest of the game should be smooth sailing." -Leo_

* * *

By the time that the teams reached the end of the boardwalk, they found that they had all gotten there at the same time, Flash waiting for them.

"Ooh, it's hard to call this one…" He put a hand to his chin, thinking about how to go about this. Suddenly, he heard a familiar primate appear. Donkey Kong. And he pointed at Flash.

"Donkey Kong!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Woah, hey buddy...what's this about?" Flash held his hands up, confused and a bit nervous. DK's simple response was to grab Flash, dragging him on over to a barrel cannon, loading him in. Captain Goomba merely watched.

"Wait, what did he do?" Keaton blinked in confusion.

"I...kinda deserve this for having you guys find his treasure…" Flash admitted, before DK shot Flash off in the water. While everyone was stunned by this, Takumi just shrugged.

"Eh, he can swim back." He muttered.

"Heh heh heh...now that he can't stop me, hand over all yer treasure, or ye'll be learning the Davy Jones locker combination!" Captain Goomba demanded.

However...this didn't go over well with the group. Probably because they were staring at Captain Goomba like he was an idiot.

"...Really?" Leo facepalmed.

"Really." Captain Goomba nodded.

"Ugh...look, I didn't want to be out here to begin with. My entire back is red from sunburn, and the bottoms of my feet are covered in sand; now this brown mushroom creature is demanding I and the others here hand over all of our valuables. If I had Brynhildr this would've already been over by now, and you would be dead. But...I can already tell we won't need are stuff." Leo folded his arms. "That being said, Nohrian law is blunt on the subject of traitors. There is only one punishment...and the sentence is death."

"I know what's going to happen, so let me assist," Ryoma offered.

"U-Um...I want to help…" Sakura spoke up.

"No, let me handle this," Hinoka responded.

"But sister! I don't want to sit back and watch as we lose again!" Sakura defended.

"Ah, Lady Hinoka...you know that whenever Lady Sakura makes up her mind on something, it's impossible to sway her." Subaki shook his head.

"Alright…" Hinoka frowned.

"Be careful, Lady Sakura!" Effie cautioned.

"I...I will...but…" Sakura noticed Captain Goomba and his crew had boarded their pirate ship. "How are we going to catch them?"

DK pointed to a boat of his own, one that he used to get here.

"That'll work." Leo smirked.

* * *

 **BOSS BATTLE**

Sakura vs Leo vs Ryoma vs Captain Goomba and His Scurvy Crew

Captain Goomba's High Seas Showdown

Description: Carry cannonballs over to your colored cannon and fire on Captain Goomba's ship!

Hint: Captain Goomba will stay on the move, so aim your shots carefully.

* * *

On the open seas close to the boardwalk, Sakura, Leo, and Ryoma were on the deck of DK's Riverboat as it gave chase to Captain Goomba's ship. There were three cannons port side for them to use, one green, one blue, and one red.

"Prepare for broadside combat, boys!" Captain Goomba shouted, spotting the group. "We'll show these landlubbers how men of the waters fight!"

 **START!**

The group spotted a large pile of cannonballs, and rushed over to get started on the battle. Sakura was first over there, reaching in to grab one, and found they were surprisingly lightweight.

"Hey, these aren't so heavy…" Sakura smiled, hurrying over to load the green cannon, Leo and Ryoma hurrying over as well. Once they were sure they had their shots lined up, they all fired at Captain Goomba's ship.

Sakura's shot narrowly missed, while Leo and Ryoma's shots hit dead on.

They repeated the process, all three hitting on their second volley. However, they had to rush away as the Goombas fired back with broadsides of their own. Sakura dove to the deck as a bit of ocean water splashed on the deck. This proved to be difficult for them to get their shots over, as Leo tried to keep his balance on the wet timbers.

Sakura began to catch up on Leo and Ryoma, with them having trouble keeping their shots on target with Captain Goomba's ship staying on the move.

The trio still managed to keep up the pressure, causing Captain Goomba to get upset.

"Argh! Lubbers! Board them and keep 'em from sinking us!" The Goomba pirate barked out.

 **Score**

Sakura: 4

Leo: 5

Ryoma: 5

Without warning, Goombas in pirate garb landed on the riverboat, trying to rush the players and hopefully force them overboard. Their efforts were somewhat in vain however, as they did their best to sidestep them. As they did this, Captain Goomba continued to fire broadsides as them, more ocean water spraying in their faces and on the deck. Getting to their cannons was now a chore for them.

Regardless of the longer time it took them, they were still able to take their shots at Captain Goomba's ship. Leo missed one having to shake Goombas away from him as they tried to stop him firing at their captain's vessel.

However, after quite some time, one shot made Sakura stumble as she was carrying a cannonball. It was another shot that caused her to fall down and dangle close to the edge. She screamed out in shock, a third causing her to lose balance as she got up, resulting in her falling in the water.

"Sakura!" Ryoma exclaimed. Loading a shot in the red cannon, he looked about as mad as he'd ever been. Leo fought off Goombas, kicking them into the water as his own form of payback.

"No mercy," He told Ryoma.

Directing his rage on Captain Goomba, Ryoma shouted, "You die, NOW!" Taking the shot, dealing a fatal blow to their opponent's ship.

Captain Goomba could only watch in defeat as he sunk in the ocean with his boat.

 **FINISH!**

 **Final Score**

Sakura: 6

Leo: 7

Ryoma: 7 (Plus 3 Final Strike)

* * *

Without second thought, Ryoma dove in to get Sakura, who he found treading water just fine.

"Sakura! Are you alright?" He asked with worry.

"Big Brother, t-thank you...I'm fine," Sakura answered, grabbing onto him. They met up with the others on shore, Flash finally reuniting with them.

"Ugh, I kinda had that coming for a few days now…" He muttered. "I guess DK and I are even now."

"Did you see the fight?" Leo inquired.

"Yes I did. As I was swimming back to shore, I watched the whole thing. And, from what I watched, Team Agi are our winners today!" Flash announced. Ryoma gave a nod as the other three cheered. "Enjoy your night off." The four headed on back through the Dragon's Gate as the remaining two teams were wondering what would become of them.

" _That's two battles I've won for Team Agi already. I'm aware of the target this puts on my back going forward, but it doesn't matter. I already had a target on my back the second this contest started, so all I'll be doing is taking it in stride." -Ryoma_

"And now, for the rest of you," Flash continued. "This is the last time I'm going to be using Bonus Stars, since I have a special announcement for tomorrow. The final three Bonus Stars are the Running Star, the Shopping Star, and the Red Star." He paused for a moment. "Judging on the distance traveled, the Running Star goes to Team Garu. Now, as for the Shopping Star, Camilla, you won that for Team Bufu."

"Speaking of Shopping, what was that SNES Classic that I saw back at the kiosk?" Camilla wondered.

"Oh, that. Yeah, probably someone just bought a bunch of those and is trying to turn a profit. I've seen it happen before." Flash responded. "As for the Red Star…" He pointed to both Takumi and Leo. "Your suffering today has netted Team Bufu safety!"

Both guys let out sighs of relief as Team Bufu headed on back through the Dragon's Gate.

" _I got hooked on a fishing rod, and Leo's back is about as red the tomatoes he loves so much. And we survived...I'm pretty positive that Hinoka and Sakura will survive the vote tonight and we'll be united for the road ahead." -Takumi_

"Team Garu, I wish I was lying, but you've got a date with me at tonight's Elimination Ceremony. You've got till sundown to figure it out. See you then." With heavy hearts, they all followed the others back.

" _This stinks...three losses in a row? We were doing so well before! What happened? Regardless, I think I should be safe since Sakura and I are on good terms again." -Hinoka_

* * *

Back at the fort, Hinoka met up with Sakura, who was busy drying herself off.

"So...we're good, right?" Hinoka asked.

"Pardon?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, curious. Sakura wrapped the towel she was using to dry herself off around her.

"I'm asking if you've forgiven me," Hinoka answered. "Because going forward I want us to be tightly knit with our brothers."

"Yeah...I-I already forgave you…" Sakura told her sister. "Now, could you let me get c-changed, please?"

"Oh, of course. Sorry about that." Hinoka saw herself out. Sakura got herself changed back into her normal appearance, then went to go see Subaki.

"Lady Sakura, how can I help you?" Subaki asked.

"Um...I think we should v-vote with Hinoka tonight…" Sakura answered. "But I want to see if Elise is o-okay with it…"

"Hmm...do you mind if I speak with her? I want to let her know that I'm in this alliance with you two," Subaki requested.

"By all means, but...don't get caught speaking with her…" Sakura allowed him.

"You won't have to worry." Subaki went off to go speak with Elise. He met up with her in his room and filled her in on the situation.

"So what you're telling me is that Sakura wants to vote out Effie?" Elise summarized. "I get that but...what about the advantage?"

"Think about it this way, Lady Elise," Subaki spoke. "If Lady Sakura and I are to survive this vote, and if this special announcement is about the advantage, whatever it is we would be more than happy to share it with you. From what my liege told me, it is the two of us and you in an alliance. Do we have an accord?"

"That's a good plan...alright, you're in. But I hope this works out." Elise agreed.

With that being said, Subaki left his room to go see what the other two were up to. Effie was busy feasting, and Hinoka was busy watching.

" _I am worried that Lady Hinoka might not approve of me making the deal I just made with Lady Elise, but hopefully she'll find it in her heart to forgive me. For now, all I can do is wonder what that advantage is." -Subaki_

* * *

Once the sun had set, the four members of Team Garu headed down to the basement, where Flash was waiting for them.

"Welcome back, Team Garu. So, third loss in a row?" Flash began.

"Yeah, and it's no fun to keep losing," Effie answered. "Sometimes when we're on a losing streak like this, it's hard to recover."

"Hinoka, last vote really took you by surprise. Do you think there'll be another vote like that happening?" Flash wondered.

"I'm pretty sure it was how I was acting that got Kagero voted out. I already apologized to Sakura about my behavior, and now we're on good terms with one another."

"Sakura, do you think that Hinoka's actions caused a bit of tension in the team, and resulted in this hat trick?" Flash was curious.

"Um...I-I don't want to blame our losses on her, no...but when I f-fell in the water today...and rescued by Ryoma again...I feel like it's m-my fault we lost…" Sakura hung her head, letting out a sigh.

"Sakura, you did your best," Hinoka reassured. "Don't be upset."

"Subaki, going forward, what do you think should happen?" Flash inquired.

"Going forward, the three of us that survive tonight's vote should press on with our heads held high," Subaki answered. "I'm confident that the teams will stick together and work together up to the end of the game."

"Welp, seems like there's nothing left to say. It is, time to vote. Effie, you're up." With that, Effie went to cast her vote.

Outside on the stage, Azura watched on from outside. "Another loss for Team Garu as we are extremely close to the long awaited merge. Hello everyone, and welcome back for another Elimination Ceremony." The monitor showed Effie in the voting room. "We're not sure what Effie is planning her vote off tonight. It should be interesting to see."

"Hello Effie! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"My vote is to eliminate Hinoka," Effie voted.

"Thanks, you can go on back now." Effie left, passing Hinoka in the hall.

"Hinoka has been causing quite the stir among her team. Will it all come back to haunt her?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Hinoka! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Effie." Hinoka voted.

"Thanks, you can go back now." Hinoka left the booth, passing Sakura on the way.

"Sakura is in an interesting position. She's aligned with her sister, but at the same time aligned with Elise. What will her game be like if she survives?" Azura thought aloud.

"Hello Sakura! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"Um...well, I-I hope she's okay with this, but...I vote to eliminate Effie." Sakura voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Sakura left, passing Subaki in the hall.

"Subaki has pledged himself to Sakura and Elise's alliance. His vote should be both interesting and obvious." Azura mused.

"Hello Subaki! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Effie. Deepest apologies, but it has to be done." Subaki voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Subaki left, heading back to the main room.

"With three votes to eliminate, Effie's fate has effectively been sealed. Now for Flash to reveal the results." Azura said.

""Alright Team Garu. The votes are in." Flash began. "Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe. Those people are...Sakura, and Subaki."

Sakura let out a sigh of relief, Subaki gently patting her on the back.

"By a vote, of 3 to 1...Effie, you have been eliminated from Fates Party."

Effie got up from her seat. "Well, that's that."

"Effie, I um...want to say t-thanks for helping out all those times you did…" Sakura spoke up.

"It's all part of my job," Effie responded. "Best of luck, you three!" With that, she headed up the stairs and out to the stage, a roaring applause waiting for her, sitting down across from Azura.

"Good to see you again, Effie," Azura greeted. "You've had quite the turnaround since the game began. Are you at all surprised to see yourself be eliminated from the game?"

"Not at all." Effie shook their head. "If anything, those three made a good move voting me out. I would've dominated the whole contest if I stayed."

"How do you believe Elise will fare without you?" Azura wondered.

"Lady Elise can handle herself without me. She's got friends with Lady Sakura and Subaki, and she's really resourceful." Effie answered. "I'll still be cheering for her."

"Do you think the people watching at home will be sad to see you go?" Azura was curious.

"I'm sure they will. I mean, you heard the crowd's cheer just now, obviously me being gone is going to be a sad moment for the people cheering for me." Effie commented.

"Well, all things considered you don't seem all that upset over being eliminated. Why is that?" Azura questioned.

"Eh, it's all about taking things like this in stride. This whole competition is just that, and there should be no bad blood at the end of the day." Effie responded.

"Thank you for playing, Effie." Azura thanked, a second chorus of cheers erupting as Effie walked down the torchlit path.

Effie arrived at the house, finding Azama back in his usual spot.

"Hello Effie," Azama greeted. "Have you been working out? You look different." She didn't have really anything to say to that, as her first thoughts were to get settled in.

(Welp, that's done.

Let's get one thing out of the way right now: I freaking love Effie as a character and as a unit. Whenever I use her she is always useful and always gets the job done. However, in this game, in the event she made it to the merge, it'd only be a matter of time before everyone lines up their shots and votes her out. So I took it upon myself to make Effie as memorable as I could as the final pre-merge boot. Imagine her beatdown of Bowser however you please! He'll be back.

That's right people, we're merging next episode! It's gonna be every man, woman…*glances at Keaton* and wolfskin for themselves. As for the advantage, I already told some people already, so here's what it is: If one person in a royal/retainer pair wins immunity, the other person will be immune as well. This also applies to Rinkah and Keaton, because if I didn't include them it would be totally unfair.

One last thing before I go, I apologize if this episode wasn't as long as my previous chapter, so hopefully future episodes will be as long as that one.

Next time, we're going to be **castaways parodying Survivor** and wonder how the remaining twelve players will play the game? Will there be betrayal? Cliques forming? Keaton continually collecting stuff that is practically worthless? Stay tuned!)


	9. Episode 8: Daily Island Life

(Ah baby, it's finally merge time! :D Merge time fun time as I always say! Anyway, now that all bets are off with the teams, how are these guys and girls going to play? Let's find out right now!)

 **Episode 8: Daily Island Life**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _Hinoka and Sakura reconciled, Rinkah and Keaton believed Takumi a threat, and Team Agi seemed to have made an alliance._

 _The challenge was for the teams to find a Star and race to the end of the boardwalk to Captain Goomba for victory. However, things took a turn when DK got his revenge on Flash._

 _Sakura, Leo, and Ryoma stepped forward to do battle with Captain Goomba, with Ryoma finishing the job and winning Team Agi immunity. Because of Leo's sunburnt back and Takumi being caught on a fishing hook, Team Bufu won second and sent Team Garu to their third Elimination Ceremony._

 _Before the vote, Sakura added Subaki into her alliance with Elise, with Subaki offering to share whatever advantage he and Sakura would get with Elise to seal the deal._

 _And at the vote, Hinoka's appeal with Sakura after yesterday's Elimination Ceremony paid off as Effie was eliminated by a 3-1 vote. 12 are left, and the merge is now! Who will be voted out tonight? A better question would be: How will the players adapt to the merge?_

 **Team Garu: Hinoka, Sakura, Subaki**

 **Team Bufu: Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton**

 **Team Agi: Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma**

* * *

Sakura, Subaki and Hinoka returned to their rooms in high spirits. Well, mostly high spirits.

"I hope Elise won't be too upset…" Sakura worried.

"Relax, Lady Sakura. She'll understand why it had to happen," Subaki soothed.

"Yeah, and it's the three of us to the end, right?" Hinoka smirked. "Nothing can stop us."

" _Now that Effie's out of the game, we can focus on taking out the other Nohrians in order of who the biggest threat is. In fact, I want to start with Camilla. She and Leo are a really dangerous pair. I'll show her who the superior older sister is!" -Hinoka_

"Y-Yeah...nothing will stop us…" Sakura agreed, but looked away knowing the side deal she had made.

" _I...made a deal with Elise that we'd be together in our own little alliance. Hinoka would be m-mad at me if she found out, so...I'm torn on what to do…" -Sakura_

* * *

With Team Bufu, we'd find Flash and Camilla with Leo, the former giving them a bottle of aloe vera, and the latter rubbing it on her brother's back.

"My apologies for flipping you off today, Flash," Leo apologized.

"Eh, don't sweat it," Flash responded. "I'm normally nice to people like this."

"If that's all you needed to give us, then I'll handle taking care of Leo," Camilla informed. "You go sleep well." Flash left them to do what was needed.

" _He's so polite. Flash cares about us just as much as my darling Corrin cares about us. Would it be a crime to compare the two? I certainly don't think so." -Camilla_

"So dear sister, what's the plan now?" Leo asked.

"Well, I've wanted to make Hinoka suffer for spearheading the move to eliminate my dear Beruka, so let's keep her around for a few more days. I want to watch her squirm and beg for forgiveness." Camilla explained.

"Ryoma then?" Leo wondered.

"Hmmhmmhmm...maybe," Camilla mused. "We'll just have to see what happens tomorrow."

* * *

Meanwhile with Team Agi, Peri was thinking about the advantage.

" _That advantage could be anything! I wonder when we're gonna get to find out what it is, because Lord Xander and I will have a huge leg-up on the others! I can hardly wait!" -Peri_

Suddenly, Peri would hear voices down the hall.

"Out! Out!" The voice belonged to Silas, who was with Kaze in trying to force out a group of reporters with cameras and other stuff at the ready.

"Huh? What's going on?" Peri wondered aloud, getting closer to try and see what the big deal was.

"Peri, stay back!" Kaze cautioned.

"It's Peri!" One of the reporters exclaimed, trying to muscle his way past Silas and Kaze.

"How could Xander have no standards and pick up this woman?" Another chuckled, trying to get clear pictures of her.

"Yeah! He's really set the bar low!" The first reporter added.

It was at those comments that something inside Peri...snapped.

"Eh...?" Peri tilted her head to the side. "What was that about Lord Xander having no standards?"

"Oh dear…" Silas grimaced. It was then Peri spotted a nearby potted plant, then glared at the reporters, which sent shivers down their spines. She then smashed it against the wall, grabbing the sharpest shard that she could find from the now destroyed clay pot, holding it like a knife. A wicked yet childish smile was now present on her face.

"I'm feeling stabby~! RUN, YOU DASTARDS." Those words from her were enough to have the reporters drop their cameras in fear and start running away back to the Dragon's Gate as Peri gave chase, being stopped by Kaze before she could pursue them through.

"Peri, don't!" Kaze pleaded. "It's not worth it!"

"But they insulted Lord Xander!" Peri whined. "They deserve it!"

"Peri...just let it go," Silas sighed. "Who's going to believe them anyway when they tell the story of some multicolor haired woman trying to kill them with a piece of a clay pot?"

"...Actually you've got a point," Peri realized, snapping out of her bloodlust. "But know this. They got lucky because you two were around."

"And if we weren't, they'd have a bigger story than what they bargained for." Kaze deadpanned. "Well, we might as well get rid of these before dawn."

"Okay. I'm gonna go clean up that mess I made." Peri then skipped off to do so, leaving the two men to do their own clean up.

* * *

The next morning everyone met up outside the fortress.

"Team Agi, Team Bufu, getting your first look at the new Team Garu. Effie voted out at the last Tribal Council." Flash said.

Elise pouted a little bit, but she saw this coming.

"Okay, so I think it's time that we change things up a little bit. Everyone, step off your mats. We're merging."

Everyone instantly got excited now that the merge was finally happening.

"First of all, I'm going to reveal this advantage that I mentioned last week," Flash continued. "Basically, to the three pairs still in the game, here's what the advantage is. If one of you wins immunity, then the other person is also immune."

"Wait, there's only two pairs from my count," Leo pointed out. "Who's the third?"

"Oh, that'd be Rinkah and Keaton," Flash casually answered. "It wouldn't be fair for them to be left out of this."

Both Rinkah and Keaton sounded extremely relieved to hear this.

" _This is amazing. Just when I thought it would only be the two remaining pairs of royals and retainers getting this powerful advantage, Flash then says 'Oh, Rinkah and Keaton also get this too.' I about jumped for joy when I heard that!...Not that we needed it." -Keaton_

"So with that out of the way, it's now every man, woman and uh…" Flash looked at Keaton. "Animal shapeshifter for themselves?"

"Let's go with that," Keaton responded.

"Anywho, we've got a challenge today, let's go!" Flash ran through the Dragon's Gate, the remaining players following close behind.

When they arrived, the group would find themselves at a tropical area with three islands connected together, along with a port that they were starting at.

"Welcome everyone, to Castaway Bay." Flash calmly introduced. "And today's challenge is really simple."

" _Another tropical destination...but this time, at least there's some shade to be found. And since we don't have to dress out in swimwear this time, I can find solace in that." -Leo_

"What's the challenge?" Rinkah wondered.

"Simple. You'll be paired up and tasked with surviving a night outside here." Flash explained. "I thought you guys could use a break from the insanity that's happened in the past few days. Once day breaks tomorrow, meet up back here."

With that, the pairs were decided, the pairs being Elise and Peri, Keaton and Leo, Subaki and Takumi, Hinoka and Xander, Ryoma and Camilla, and Sakura and Rinkah.

"Alright everybody! Have fun!" Flash smiled. While everyone was relieved to have a break, Xander was a bit skeptical.

" _Part of me wants to believe that this is a simple break, but clearly Flash has something up his sleeve. I'll find out what it is, mark my words." -Xander_

Once they left, Flash started snickering and faced the camera. "Now, what I didn't tell them was that I had this resort placed here for them if they wanted to use it, but the catch is that if one of the members of each pair checks in, they're out. Last pair that doesn't cave wins, and if we have a tie, one person from each pair will compete in a minigame for immunity. Ah, this is gonna be awesome!"

 **Final 12: Hinoka, Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton, Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma**

* * *

While most the contestants opted to stay in their usual attire instead of their swimwear, this was not the case as Camilla opted to dart off to privacy.

"Um, Camilla? What are you doing?" Ryoma wondered.

"Don't mind me," She giggled. "Just...trying to get into the spirit of today's challenge." She paused as she made the change to the two-piece she wore yesterday, carrying her clothes and armor in a handbag she grabbed back at the fort.

"Now here's what else I want to know. Where'd you get the bag?" Ryoma continued.

"Oh, there's this storeroom back at the fort that has some stuff Flash allows us to have," Camilla explained. She would have said more, but the two heard a ringing noise, one that was familiar to Camilla. When Ryoma saw Camilla dart towards the source of the noise, he immediately chased after her, both finding the phone that the Hint Giver gave hidden in the bushes. Camilla dove down to grab it, but Ryoma was just a second faster, answering the phone.

"Hello?" Ryoma answered.

"Oh, hi there! I'm guessing this is...Ryoma, right? The lobster guy?" The Hint Giver's voice was heard loud and clear.

"My attire is not supposed to be a lobster, it's supposed to be a lion…" Ryoma facepalmed. "Anyway, who are you? How'd you know my name?"

"Uh, well...y'see, it's a bit of a long story…" The Hint Giver began to explain. "One I don't have time to tell."

"She has advice to give us," Camilla bluntly informed.

"Wait a sec, is that Camilla too? Oh, this is doubly awesome!" The Hint Giver squeed. "So I heard what happened regarding that SNES."

"The price was absurd! I'd expect that price being for a ransom for royalty, but honestly…" Camilla responded.

"Anyway, I just thought I'd give you two a warning about today. There's a hotel at the northern end of Castaway Bay. I know it's tempting, but whatever you do, do _not_ check in there. This is part of the challenge, because if either one of you do, you can kiss immunity goodbye."

" _I'm positive Xander suspected something was up about today's challenge, and this right here must be it. I won't give in to such mere temptations such as this, but I'll have to do what I can to keep Camilla away from there. I have my doubts that she shares the same stance as I." -Ryoma_

"Uh...there was one other thing…" The Hint Giver thought aloud. "Oh yeah, there's something back at the fortress I found. Something about an idol…"

"What's she saying?" Camilla inquired.

"Something about an idol," Ryoma answered. "What's so special about it?"

"Well, I couldn't read what was attached to the note because I almost got caught by Kaze, so I had to quickly put it back where I found it and ran. That's all I can really say. Gotta go now, don't do any of that weird samurai suicide stuff. Anyway, gotta go clean up my wounds. Hasta la vista!" And with that, she hung up.

"Weird...samurai suicide...why was she mentioning me doing seppuku?" Ryoma wondered in astonishment.

"Beats me." Camilla shrugged. "Perhaps in some alternate situation than the one we found ourselves in you would have done that."

"You mean Corrin siding with Nohr instead of declaring neutrality, correct?" Ryoma inquired, to which Camilla gave a nod in response.

" _Ryoma is such a respectable person, it's no wonder Hoshido looks up to him as much as they do. That being said, his loose lips do benefit me as I now know there's an idol around back at the fortress. I don't know what it will do, but I know it'll give me an advantage that I may need." -Camilla_

* * *

With Sakura and Rinkah, the two were mainly doing as Flash suggested and taking it easy for the time being.

"Working in teams must've been pretty hectic for you," Rinkah remarked.

"Y-Yeah...my sister was a bit...bossy at times…" Sakura confided. "B-But she meant well."

" _Now that we're m-merged, I think that...my family is going to r-reunite and work together. But...at the same time, I'm w-worried they'll find out I-I was working with Elise…" -Sakura_

"Bossy? What do you mean by that?" Rinkah raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I-I said she didn't mean any harm!" Sakura then exclaimed. "She just...she just wanted what was best for me…"

"Well, if you insist, Lady Sakura…" Rinkah scratched the back of her head. "I'll look for a spot we can set up camp for the evening."

"Okay…" Sakura let Rinkah do what needed to be done, letting out a sigh, leaving Rinkah to wonder what Sakura meant by Hinoka being bossy.

" _Lady Sakura told me that when she was back on Team Garu, her sister was being 'bossy' to her and that made me a bit curious. I know Lady Hinoka can get competitive, but this is a bit worrisome. I fear that the Nohrians will start picking off the Hoshidan family one at a time." -Rinkah_

* * *

Speaking of Nohrians, Peri and Elise were by the water when they heard an awfully familiar voice, but for some reason it wasn't directed at them.

"You can do it, son!" It was Bowser, and with him was his son, Bowser Jr.. The two ladies could only watch as they spotted the King of Koopas helping his son swim.

"I'm doing my best, Papa!" Junior exclaimed.

"Aw, he's so adorable!" Elise giggled, which caught Bowser's attention when he spotted Peri.

"You again? What do you want!?" Bowser roared.

"For once, nothing," Peri deadpanned. "What's going on here?"

"Papa's trying to teach me how to swim," Junior told them, then got a good look at Peri. "Uh, Papa? Who is the strange lady with the cotton candy hair?"

"Oh me? The name's Peri! P for pulverize, E for eviscerate, R for ruin, and I for impale! Kee hee!" Peri introduced, prompting Elise, Bowser, and Junior to collectively sweatdrop.

"Uh...yeah, she's my brother's retainer," Elise informed.

"Where exactly did he find this woman again?" Bowser asked.

"Fighting tourney," Elise answered.

"...You know something, that would explain a LOT about her." Bowser confided.

"I'm Elise, and I'm not crazy," Elise then introduced herself to Junior. "I'm the younger of the two princesses of Nohr, and it's really nice to meet you!"

" _When we see Bowser in a situation like this, it reminds me that not everyone's a bad guy at heart. Well...not everyone, because I still remember those two jerks that served Father all those years. *folds arms* Just thinking about them makes me upset, and wanting to hit something." -Elise_

"Yeah, same here!" Junior told Elise.

"I know this is gonna be weird of me to ask, but could you two go elsewhere? Kinda busy right now." Bowser requested.

"But-" Peri began.

"I SAID GO AWAY!" Bowser breathed fire at the two, forcing them to run.

* * *

With Keaton and Leo, the wolfskin was looking over the broken spyglass he got yesterday.

" _Rinkah didn't think this spyglass was all that important, but I'm gonna prove her wrong! I'll show them all how important this thing is!" -Keaton_

"Hmm...you know what I think?" Leo spoke up.

"What is it?" Keaton turned to him.

"If we could find a way to fix your spyglass, we'd get the upper hand on the others by knowing the layout of this area," Leo suggested. "What say you?"

"I'm in!" Keaton grinned. "But...where do we start?"

"Could I take a look at that for a moment?" Keaton handed over his spyglass to Leo, who began to look it over.

" _We don't have any sort of maps when it comes to these challenge areas, so I believe that this spyglass Keaton found yesterday will be an incredible boon to whoever has it. I'd like to have it, so I have to stay on Keaton's good side." -Leo_

After examining the spyglass, Leo looked up at Keaton. "Well, I do believe it can be fixed, it just needs a new lens or two."

"So we just need to find some glass? Okay! I'll go find some right away!" Keaton was about to dart off, when suddenly he ran face first into something. It looked to be some sort of mushroom shrine.

"Ow...what's this thing?" Keaton rubbed his head.

"It appears to be a shrine to some sort of...mushroom?" Leo noticed an inscription and read it. "'Feel free to pay your respects to the Great Mushroom Spirit.' Hmm...perhaps it might be able to help us."

Keaton then began praying aloud. "O Great Mushroom Spirit, um, please answer our calls for help! Lend us your power and...stuff to fix this spyglass!"

Nothing happened for a few moments, when suddenly an orb that looked like it came from a gachapon machine appeared before the two. Inside it was a small enough piece of glass that could be used as a lens, and then another lens big enough for the other end of the spyglass appeared.

"Alright!" Keaton exclaimed with joy. "You rock, great spirit I've only heard about just now!" Leo only rolled his eyes in response.

* * *

With Subaki and Takumi, the latter was waiting around for the former to return.

"What is taking him so long?" Takumi folded his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.

" _I get that Subaki is my sister's retainer and everything, and that one of his jobs is scouting out areas like this, but come on man! We're competing to see who's going to win at the end. Yeah, I'll work with my siblings, but it would be the dumbest thing ever if he gave Sakura the million gold at the end." -Takumi_

Subaki soon returned, prompting Takumi to ask, "Where have you been?"

"I was merely scouting around to see if there were any dangers present here," Subaki informed. "Once that was done, I went and informed Lady Sakura there was nothing to be afraid of."

"That so?" Takumi folded his arms. "What did you find out here anyway?"

"Well, the only thing I could really say that was of interest was this resort at the northern end of the area. It looked innocent enough, so I thought nothing of it." Subaki informed.

"A resort? Here?" Takumi sounded intrigued. "Do you...mind leading me there?"

"Not at all," Subaki replied. He led Takumi to the resort that he found.

" _I don't really see how this challenge could go sour for anyone. All Flash told us to do was merely take the day off, and given the tension Lady Sakura and I encountered on Team Garu, I believe this would be more than enough to help her relieve that." -Subaki_

* * *

Hinoka was soaking up the sun's rays as Xander was searching around for what he believed was the 'catch' that Flash didn't mention to them earlier.

"Hey Xander? Flash said to take the day off," Hinoka reminded. "What's got you worked up?"

"There has to be a catch regarding today's challenge, Hinoka," Xander informed. "He can't possibly have nothing planned for today."

"So what you're saying is you want to find this catch?" Hinoka raised an eyebrow, pausing for a moment. "...I bet I can find that catch before you can."

"You're on." Xander smirked. So the two began to search for anything that looked suspicious or out of place in Castaway Bay.

" _Xander's convinced there's this catch out here regarding today's challenge, and honestly I think it's an endurance kind of thing. Perhaps it's one of those things where like if you want to quit you just say something and the crew comes to help us. Whatever it is, I'm sure this is endurance." -Hinoka_

* * *

Back with Ryoma and Camilla, as the sun was beginning to set the two would overhear someone saying something that troubled the both of them.

"They won't forget me!" Nearby Rowdy River Rafting, they'd find a young man who looked no younger than 18, taking a selfie of himself. While this would seem innocent at first glance, it was where he was standing - close to the edge overlooking the water, and what the Shy Guy there was saying that got their undivided attention.

"Don't jump!" The Shy Guy exclaimed. "You don't want to be remembered this way!" Without hesitation, Ryoma walked forward.

"What's all this?" Ryoma asked.

"Huh? Who're you?" The boy asked.

"I am Ryoma, once the crown prince of Hoshido, and now the current king," Ryoma answered. "My friend here is Camilla, eldest princess of Nohr. Tell us something...why are you planning to kill yourself?"

"No one even cares about me...they treat me like I don't even exist," The boy replied. "So I figure they'll know I exist...or well, existed."

"That's why?" Camilla was bewildered. "How awful…"

"How selfish." Ryoma frowned, folding his arms. His stern side was showing "Young man, don't you have parents?"

"Well, yeah…" He confided.

"Any siblings?" Ryoma continued.

"Two of them," The boy answered.

"Think about how devastated your family would be if you jumped right now," Ryoma added. "It'd be even worse for them to learn that their son took his life because of a selfish cry for attention. It's not worth it. Surely they care about you."

"Why does it matter to you?" The boy suddenly snapped. Ryoma kept calm as he unfolded his arms.

"All lives are sacred. Even yours. Taking life is a very serious decision, a decision I've had to make before in the past whenever someone abused their power. They'd have to be stopped for the sake of our way of life."

Camilla then soon stepped forward. "I'm in agreement with Ryoma. You matter to your family, and I'm positive they'd help you out." She reached out her hand. "Please, step away from the edge and take my hand."

The boy fell quiet. He looked to be thinking about what they had said...before taking Camilla's hand, being brought away from the edge and into her motherly embrace, softly crying.

"Thank you both." The Shy Guy was relieved.

" _Being the king of Hoshido bears a heavy responsibility. It doesn't matter if that young man was a citizen of my kingdom or some stranger. The people look up to me as a leader, and in turn, I have to be there to guide them down the right path." -Ryoma_

* * *

At the resort, Sakura and Rinkah walked in through the front door, around the same time that Takumi and Subaki did.

"Sakura!" Takumi exclaimed.

"Brother!" Sakura was happy to see him.

"I was wondering what took Subaki so long to get back to me, and I found out he directed you here," Takumi said. "Did I get that right?"

"Y-Yes, he did…" Sakura answered.

"Well, if you're going to relax here...do you mind if I join you?" Takumi suddenly asked, surprising his sister.

"Sure, but...w-why do you want to, anyway?" Sakura responded.

"Uh, because I was concerned for my sister," Takumi lied.

" _To be perfectly honest, I could use a break from all the absurdity going on. I've been battered around for the past few days like I'm some sort of plaything for the universe. Sakura being here gives me an excuse to not only strategize with her, but to unwind." -Takumi_

"Oh...o-okay…" Sakura was happy to hear that. The receptionist at the front desk was none other than one of the many Anna sisters, waving to the four in a friendly manner.

"Hello guys!" Anna greeted.

"Good to see you again, Anna," Takumi greeted in kind. "Is this your resort?"

"I guess you could say that. I'm helping out Flash today after uh...I and one of my sisters had a scheme to prevent one of us from making money on their turf." Anna explained.

"What'd you do?" Rinkah asked.

"Y'see, Anna, commander of the Askr army, wanted to take swimsuit pictures and video of Ylissean and Nohrian heroes respectively a while back, and we were charging her an exorbitant amount to do so. She got desperate enough that she...forced Flash to model in swimwear."

"I take it he wasn't very happy about that," Subaki wagered.

"Oh, he was pissed off." Anna sighed. "He got so mad that she forced him to do that without a shirt on that he stormed our nest egg, beat up every single one of us, and threatened to burn all of our money if we didn't apologize and let Commander Anna go through with it."

"He r-really did that?" Sakura was shocked to hear about this.

"Yup. And then he stole it all anyway." Anna frowned. "He's willing to give it back if I do this one thing for him. So, would you like to check in?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Takumi answered. Sakura gave a slight nod, still processing why Flash would threaten to burn money over something like being forced to model swimwear. As Anna wrote their names down on the ledger, she handed over two room keys.

"I got you guys a double room in case Sakura wanted to room with Subaki," Anna explained. "Feel free to check out what else we've got here. F...Fr...Fre…" Anna had trouble spitting the last part out.

"Free of charge?" Sakura innocently finished.

"...Yes…" Anna let out a defeated sigh. With that, the four left Anna to feel sad about giving stuff out for free. She took out a notepad, and crossed out their names as well before hiding it back where she grabbed it.

* * *

Back outside with Elise and Peri, the two had just gotten away from Bowser, the former of the two ladies panting as she was out of breath.

"Hah...haf...huf...dear Gods, that's the longest I've ever run in my life…" Elise was gasping for air.

"Think we should set up camp here, Lady Elise?" Peri asked Elise.

"Yeah...that'd be nice." Elise fell back on the ground to sit on her bottom in the shade as Peri got to work.

" _Lord Xander isn't the only person I have to watch over. I also have to make sure his siblings aren't hurt, because if they are they won't be able to stab things, and it's not fun!" -Peri_

Within a reasonable time frame, Peri had set up a little shelter for the both of them for the night.

"All done, Lady Elise!" Peri exclaimed.

"Woohoo!" Elise giggled, happy they had somewhere to relax for the night. As they got situated, they would find a familiar face. It was Bowser Jr.!

"Hey, I uh, wanted to say I was sorry about earlier with Papa," He said.

"Ah, don't worry too much about it," Elise reassured. "It's not your fault."

"Your father probably thinks I'm entirely crazy, but well...he doesn't know what we've been through. Like, I don't want Soleil turning out to be like me." Peri added.

"Who's that?" Junior wondered.

"Oh, that's uh...her daughter. It's a bit complicated." Elise answered.

"...I don't want to ask." Junior sweatdropped.

"SON!" A voice roared out. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Bowser again!" Peri gasped.

"Oh no...I didn't tell Papa I came over to see you two!" Junior worried. He quickly hid himself.

"He wanted to see us both?" Elise could only wonder in amazement.

" _So I think I might've made a friend in Bowser's kid today. Though I'm not sure his dad approves of it since we're kinda at odds with each other...but it's okay! I can handle forbidden friendships easily!" -Elise_

It was indeed Bowser who stormed over. "Oh...it's you two again. Have you seen Junior anywhere?"

"Nope, haven't seen him," Peri lied.

"He must be somewhere else." Elise added. Miraculously, Bowser bought it and stomped off somewhere else. Once he was out of earshot, both ladies breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was too close…" Peri commented. Junior came out of hiding.

"The reason I went to look for you two was because, well...I don't know many other nice girls like you, Elise." Junior explained.

"What? Really?" Elise was astonished.

"Only other person who is like you is Peach...but Papa kidnaps her like...every Thursday?" Junior answered.

"It's agreed on that princesses get kidnapped on Thursdays?" Peri blinked in utter confusion.

"The Gods I met yesterday did mention something like that…" Elise remembered. "Seriously, why is Thursday 'Kidnap a Princess Day' in the first place? Who came up with that?"

Junior merely shrugged. "How should I know?"

"Anyway...how about you stay with us for tonight? The company would be appreciated," Elise suggested.

"Sure thing," Junior agreed.

"It's getting a bit late...I'll keep watch, Lady Elise." Peri informed. Elise gave a thumbs up as she laid back to try and get some shuteye.

* * *

With Leo and Keaton, as Leo worked on finding out how to fix the spyglass, Keaton was looking around for something they could have as food.

" _I'm a wolfskin. Living off the land is really easy to do when you're like me. Leo and I should be in good shape for this challenge so long as nothing crazy happens...crap, did I just jinx it?" -Keaton_

As Keaton searched, he turned around to see Bowser storming around, grumbling about something.

"What's he doing here?" He wondered aloud. Bowser took notice of Keaton and pointed at him.

"You! Wolfie! Where's my son?" Bowser demanded an answer.

"...Your son?" Keaton paused, not sure what Junior looked like. "How should I know? I've never heard of you having a kid. Or a wife for that matter."

"RAAAGH!" Bowser yelled in frustration, clawing at Keaton. The wolfskin dodged, running back to Leo.

"Leo!" Keaton exclaimed. "Bowser's here!"

"Ugh, of all the times to…" Leo shook his head. "Let me deal with this. You watch the spyglass. Don't let anyone touch it."

"Okay!" Keaton then sat down on his bottom, staring intensely at the spyglass as Leo stood up, going to confront Bowser, holding something behind his back. What was it, you might ask? His bottle of ketchup.

"Is something troubling you, Bowser?" Leo calmly asked.

"Tell your wolf to shut his yap! I'm trying to find my son Junior...and he had to talk about my wife…" Bowser growled.

"From where he's from, civilization is a bit of a foreign concept to him," Leo responded. "He wasn't aware that your wife is a touchy subject with you."

"Anyway, where's Junior? You've probably got the highest IQ out of all your friends, so you ought to know." Bowser then requested.

"I'm afraid I don't know the first thing about your son, so even if I wanted to I couldn't help you," Leo declined. "Now could you please leave us alone? We're trying to spend the night out here in peace. Additionally, your son missing is not my problem. _My_ problem is some gigantic reptile in my face about something I know nothing about. _Your_ problem is threatening a member of the Nohrian royal family."

The response was enough to anger Bowser again, however Leo's response was a quick squirt of ketchup in Bowser's eyes. Blinded by the substance, he stumbled and clawed around until he hit something. That something being a statue of a Goomba, which Bowser clawed a sizable chunk out of.

"WHO DARES DESECRATE THE SACRED TOTEM OF THE GOOMBA GODS!?" A voice boomed out.

"He made me do it!" Bowser accusingly pointed at Leo, prompting the blueblood to smirk in response.

" _I must have the Devil's own luck tonight, for I didn't know that totem was there. I only felt that Bowser was going to attack me, so I had to do something to defend myself. Knowing who you're up against, and using that to your advantage is how to win battles easily." -Leo_

"Forgive me if I handed you the shovel," Leo sarcastically apologized, with Bowser just realizing what he said.

"Uh-oh…" A mysterious force then launched Bowser about halfway across Castaway Bay, landing him in the water.

Satisfied, Leo went back to Keaton, who was doing exactly what the former ordered him to do.

"He's gone now, Keaton," Leo said, snapping Keaton out of his trance.

"Huh? Oh yeah, thanks!" Keaton grinned, rubbing his eyes.

"If I know anything about Elise, his son is probably with her," Leo guessed. "But it shouldn't be my concern if he is or isn't."

"So...I'm gonna go back to finding us food now." Keaton then left to do just that, with Leo putting a bit of ketchup on his ungloved finger and sticking it in his mouth.

* * *

Back with Xander and Hinoka, the latter had run herself ragged looking for what kind of twist Flash could have added to this challenge.

"Agh, this is pointless!" Hinoka exclaimed. "How're we going to find a twist in a location like this?"

" _Xander and I have turned this island upside down looking for whatever kind of twist that Flash left for us in this challenge, but so far we've come up empty handed. It can't be so obvious that it just sticks out, right?" -Hinoka_

"Maybe look for the large building that looks recently built?" Xander suggested, looking off in the distance towards the north of the island.

"No way it could be that ea-" Hinoka then looked in the direction that Xander was, spying the resort. "Huh...I guess it was right in front of us this whole time."

"I saw it about an hour ago, Hinoka," Xander added. "Would you like to check it out?"

"Sure thing." Hinoka nodded. The two then moved towards the resort, unaware of its involvement in the challenge.

Inside they would find Anna at the receptionist desk, noticing the two walk in. "Oh! Come on in!" She greeted in a warm, inviting manner.

"Good to see you again, Anna," Xander responded. "What's all this?"

"Oh, you know, just doing what I do best," Anna answered, partially lying. She noticed that Hinoka was tired. "Would you two like to check in?"

"That'd be nice…" Hinoka said, but Xander wasn't convinced.

"Was this on your own free will, or did someone put you up to it?" He continued.

"Of course this was on my own free will." Anna folded her arms. "I'm feeling generous today, so for my old friends, I'm letting you guys check in and relax here for...free…" She looked sad on that last bit.

"You never give anything away for free," Xander pointed out.

"Ugh...nothing gets past you, huh? Yeah, Flash put me up to this. He said if I did this one thing for him he'd give back the nest egg he took from us after one of my sisters forced him to model swimwear. I...may have had something to do with that." Anna confessed.

"I think we know what you did." Hinoka rolled her eyes.

" _Anna is still the same woman we all know her as - it's all about the money. Though I am impressed that Flash managed to get her to give something out for free. Makes me wonder what he did to pull this off…" -Hinoka_

"...Alright. We'll stay here for the night." Xander decided. Anna handed him a room key.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here!" Anna smiled.

" _My safety lies in the hands of Peri, who I haven't seen ever since the challenge began. If she wins, then I'm also immune at the next vote. Given how capable she is, I'm confident that I won't be in danger." -Xander_

* * *

When the two went off to find their rooms, Anna crossed out their names, noting that only three pairs were left in the challenge.

With the other four in the resort, Subaki and Rinkah were relaxing in a hot tub, while Sakura was sitting outside of it, her feet in the water. Takumi was off doing something else.

"This is just like a hot spring…" Subaki mused, relaxed. "Perfect temperature for unwinding if I do say so myself."

"Y-Yeah...if you think so…" Sakura responded.

"Come on, Lady Sakura, join us." Rinkah suggested, leaning back.

"U-Um...okay…" Sakura slowly eased her way into the hot tub, sitting next to Subaki. She let out a big sigh as she did, bringing a smile to her face.

" _S-Subaki wanted me to come here so I could relax...I could use it...after the past f-few days…I thank him for this." -Sakura_

Subaki let out a long yawn as Sakura did this, prompting Sakura to look at him and worry. "Subaki...a-are you getting enough sleep?"

"What? Of course I am," Subaki responded. "Why do you ask?"

"I noticed that um...you have b-bags under your eyes," Sakura pointed out. As Subaki felt under his eyes, Rinkah merely offered up a shrug.

"Eh, it's been a long week for everyone," She said. "We'll be able to rest easy tonight."

" _There's nothing wrong with relaxing every so often. Subaki, given how hard he pushes himself for Lady Sakura, deserves this kind of rest. You can't be perfect if you're worn out." -Rinkah_

"Yeah, we've all had a long week," Takumi agreed, approaching the group. "So, what's the plan from here?"

"Well, we obviously would be working together with Lord Ryoma and Lady Hinoka," Subaki answered. "From there we would work to vote out the Nohrians."

"Sounds like a plan." Takumi nodded with a smile. "I say we vote out Leo first. He's the brains of their whole operation, and if we take him out they'll be severely crippled."

"Um...I-I don't know what to do…" Sakura confided.

"Why not His Majesty, Xander?" Rinkah then suggested. "Provided Peri or him doesn't win immunity, we could get him out."

"He's more of a challenge thing, Rinkah," Takumi explained. "From a strategic standpoint, if we can get Leo out we could cripple the Nohrians hard."

"But, um...what about P-P-Peri…?" Sakura brought up. "She would...flip out if we d-did that…"

"Lady Sakura has a point. If we do vote Peri's liege out, then she might try to kill us all...though I don't know how she'd manage with the strange utensils back at the fort." Subaki commented.

"Seriously, what are those things made out of?" Rinkah wondered.

"If I knew I'd tell you," Takumi answered.

* * *

With Xander and Hinoka, the two arrived in their hotel room for the night. It was a basic two bedroom with a small bathroom, and an end table between the two beds. Xander sat down on one of the beds as Hinoka went into the bathroom, likely to get showered off.

" _I haven't gotten cleaned off since we got here. A nice hot bath is just what I need after a week of intense competition. It'll also help me clear my mind and get focused for the challenges ahead." -Hinoka_

However, Hinoka looked at the shower and bath combo, a puzzled expression on her face.

"How do you work this kind of thing?" She wondered aloud, reaching for the valve to turn the water on, and water came out of the shower head, spraying her with how water. She screamed out in shock and a bit of pain, causing Xander to rush in to see what was wrong.

"Hinoka, are you alright?" He asked with concern.

"Xander! Do you barge in on everyone when they're bathing?" Hinoka retorted. She was still thankfully clothed, but her hair was wet and a slight bit red from the hot water. He looked at the shower/bath combo, turning off the water.

"Would you like me to see if I can get the bath ready?" Xander requested.

"Sure. I can't make heads or tails of this." Hinoka agreed. And so Xander got to work trying to get the bath filled with water that was the right temperature. After some trial and error, he was able to get it filled up to an acceptable level for Hinoka to wash off, turning off the water once he was done.

"There you are. I tested the water myself to make sure it wasn't too hot nor too cold," Xander said.

"Thanks for that," Hinoka sounded grateful. "Now uh, could you kindly…"

"Of course. I'm going to bed soon since it's dark out." Xander informed, leaving the bathroom.

" _Helping Hinoka out with the bath wasn't too hard after I figured out how it worked. One moment we're in this together, the next we'll be scheming against one another. Without a doubt she'll be looking to make an alliance with her siblings, so if I want to make the alliance with Elise, Peri, and Ryoma...I'll have to campaign hard for my rival to work with me." -Xander_

* * *

Night came and went, the six who checked in to the resort having a nice breakfast before meeting up with the others outside, along with Flash who led them all there.

"So, did you guys have a nice night?" Flash asked with a smile. "Appreciate the day off?" Everyone gave a nod, all in positive moods. Xander spoke up.

"For the challenge...what now?" He inquired. "This resort had something to do with it, didn't it?"

"Guilty as charged, Xander," Flash answered. "You six who stayed here last night...I said to survive a night outside, not in a hotel. So yeah, no immunity chance for you." The six looked shocked by that, but woefully understood.

"Um...does that mean all six of us win immunity then?" Keaton grinned, hoping that would be the answer.

Flash spun around, clapped his hands together and said, "Fat chance." Keaton folded his arms, frowning. "As for the rest of you, I need you to pick one person to compete in a minigame to break this tie. Winning pair gets immunity."

Peri, Ryoma, and Leo stepped forward to compete.

"Alright, immunity is on the line! Let's do this!" Flash grinned.

* * *

Catch You Letter

Players: Peri, Ryoma, Leo

Description: The mail has been scattered everywhere! Grab the lost letters and hand them to the Shy Guy. Return the most letters to win!

Hint: White letters are worth one point each. Love letters are worth three points each!

* * *

In the area for the minigame, the three players watched as a Shy Guy burst out of a post office, the top near bursting with mail. The roof burst off the post office, letters flying every which way.

 **START!**

White letters began fluttering down towards the group, the trio hurrying to grab letters to hand them back to the Shy Guy. While Peri and Ryoma were doing them one by one, Leo got the idea to grab onto multiple letters and then turn them over to the Shy Guy before the time was up to save time.

Soon, pink enveloped letters with hearts to keep the letter shut began floating down. Peri frantically grasped for those along with normal letters, forcing Leo and Ryoma to play catch up.

Once Leo handed over all his letters, time was up. Unfortunately for him, his strategy was not enough.

 **FINISH!**

Final Score

Peri: 13

Ryoma: 11

Leo: 12

* * *

"Came down to it so close! Peri, congratulations! You not only got immunity for yourself, but also for your liege and his youngest sister!" Flash announced.

Peri jumped for joy as everyone congratulated her.

" _Yay! I won, I won, I won! All I gotta do is keep this streak alive and make Lord Xander happy!...Huh? You think it'll backfire? No it won't. If one of us wins, the way I see it we both win~!" -Peri_

"Did I do good, Lord Xander?" Peri cheerily asked, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"You did wonderful," Xander responded. "I knew you would win for me."

"Alright, now if you'll excuse me I've got some things to take care of. Namely pissed off Goomba Gods. The rest of you head on back and get ready for tonight's vote." Flash dismissed the group, who headed on back to the fort.

* * *

A potentially game changing vote was looming above the area, so everyone was active in planning their moves.

Hinoka, Takumi, and Sakura were meeting up.

"Well, Rinkah suggested we eliminate Xander, but since he's immune we'll just go with my original plan. Leo tonight?" Takumi suggested.

"Yeah, I can live with that." Hinoka nodded. "But who can we pull? 3 votes isn't going to cut it." Hinoka wondered.

"Sakura can pull Subaki, and I think we can pull Rinkah and Keaton to voting with us. With Ryoma, that should be enough to get Leo out." Takumi reasoned. "Let's go." Hinoka and Takumi went to go speak with the people mentioned, trusting Sakura to talk with Subaki about eliminating Leo. But Sakura stayed there, not sure what to do.

" _I-I'm torn...who do I side with? My friend Elise? Or my f-family? I wish I k-knew what to do…" -Sakura_

She decided to go speak with Subaki about what to do.

Meanwhile, with Elise, she met up with Camilla as the two discussed what to do.

"So who do you think we should eliminate?" Elise asked.

"Hinoka, clean cut. She was responsible for getting my darling Beruka eliminated, and I will have my revenge." Camilla bluntly explained. They would hear a knock on the door, and in walked Subaki.

"Hey Subaki," Elise greeted. "Come, sit down."

"Elise dear, is Subaki working with us?" Camilla inquired.

"That is correct, Lady Camilla," Subaki answered. "My liege and I are in an alliance with your sister, so I guess that makes us a quartet."

"Yes, it does indeed." Camilla mused.

"What can we help you with?" Elise asked.

"Lady Sakura is torn on what to do. Lady Hinoka and Lord Takumi are focusing on eliminating Lord Leo tonight, and they believe they have the numbers." Subaki informed.

"I see...well, thank you for telling us," Camilla put a finger to her chin. "Well, how does Sakura feel?"

"As I said, she's torn on who to side with," Subaki responded. "On one hand, her siblings are still present in the game, but on the other hand, Lady Hinoka was being quite bossy when we were back on Team Garu."

Camilla paused, doing her best to hide anger. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, Sakura told me herself, sis," Elise confirmed.

"...Well, that settles it. I'm going to speak with Xander. He needs to know about this. You go talk with Sakura, both of you. Report back here when you're done, dear sister. I have a little task for you once you're done." Camilla instructed.

"Okay!" Elise went off with Subaki to do just that, as Camilla practically stewed as she went to search for Xander.

With Rinkah and Keaton, Takumi was speaking with them about the vote.

"So I know we didn't talk a whole lot during the pre-merge, but I'd like it if you guys can vote with me against Leo tonight." He said.

"What? But Prince Leo is such a cool guy!" Keaton practically recoiled from the proposition. "He got rid of Bowser last night and fixed my spyglass!"

"He did?" Rinkah looked at Keaton, prompting the wolfskin to show the two the now repaired spyglass.

"Yup! He sure did!" Keaton grinned. "It'll be useful, I promise!"

Takumi shook his head. "Just vote Leo tonight, okay? He's a threat." He then left, leaving the two to consider Takumi's suggestion.

"I don't know. What do you think?" Rinkah asked Keaton.

"Hmm...well, I think that while Leo's a cool guy and everything, he is a big strategic threat, so it would make sense to get rid of him now," Keaton reasoned.

"So eliminate Prince Leo tonight?" Rinkah added, which Keaton nodded. "Alright then."

Meanwhile with Elise, Sakura, and Subaki, the three were all in her room and discussing what to do.

"She didn't...mean any h-harm, you two…" Sakura hung her head with a sigh.

"I know Lady Sakura, but Lady Elise here doesn't want you to be ordered around like this," Subaki reasoned. "You'd like to win, right?"

"Y-Yeah...I would…" Sakura meekly answered.

"We're here for you no matter what you do. How about...how about this? You, me, Subaki, Camilla? Us four could work together?" Elise suggested. "My sister and I are practically inseparable, and we promise you Sakura; we won't betray you. Ever."

"I hope so…" Sakura softly smiled.

"Just know I have your back, Lady Sakura." Subaki rubbed her shoulders.

"Thank you…" Sakura sighed with relief.

" _I want to work with Sakura because she's my best friend from Hoshido! I'm working with my brothers, and possibly Peri and Ryoma from Team Agi. If I can keep this alliance hidden from them with some good ol' smoke and mirrors, I'm set! Cute girls like us have to stick together!" -Elise_

With Xander, he was busy talking with Ryoma about something when Camilla came in the room. "Brother, I need to discuss something with you." She requested, and then to Ryoma, "Do you mind?"

"Might I hear what this is all about?" Ryoma inquired. "I told you about what the Hint Giver told us, so this only seems fair."

"Before you ask Xander, whatever the Hint Giver told me and Ryoma can wait," Camilla added. "Now, about what I need to talk about...I want Hinoka out. Subaki told me that she was being really bossy with Sakura back when they were on Team Garu. It made Sakura really unhappy and I personally cannot stand for it."

"I knew you were upset when Beruka was eliminated…" Xander thought aloud.

"Wait, my sister did what?" Ryoma was shocked. "Why?"

"If I had to guess Ryoma, the competition has gotten to Hinoka's head and she aggressively campaigned with Sakura to get Beruka out, and make it an all Hoshidan final four," Xander wagered.

"That makes sense...but I can't believe that she would do that." Ryoma shook his head.

"Believe it, Ryoma." Camilla looked visibly upset now. "As for what was said by the Hint Giver, it was something about this idol...no clue what it was for, but I'm going to go look for it with Elise." She got up and left to go do that, leaving Xander and Ryoma processing what was said.

"...Xander...what do I do?" Ryoma wondered.

"We're allies, aren't we?" Xander brought up. "Peri suggested that we work together, the four of us who were on Team Agi. My sisters are, as far as I know, thick as thieves, so we'd have five votes. Then we bring in Leo, that's six. Then we'd just need one more for majority."

"Yes, but who would we bring in as that seventh?" Ryoma wondered.

"Sakura of course. Though I'm not sure she'd be willing to do such a cutthroat thing...in that case the best thing I could do is have Subaki vote with us."

"Assuming I vote for Leo, and Sakura does not vote against Hinoka, we would have a tie." Ryoma then mentioned. "What would happen then?"

"I'd rather not find out," Xander pondered what could happen. "But just know the only way I would want to lose to you is through a direct confrontation, not schemes behind your back."

"I wouldn't want it any other way, Xander," Ryoma confided. "I'll consider it." He then went off to contemplate what to do before the vote.

" _Currently I am in a perilous situation. My sister Hinoka's behavior, from what I'm hearing, is unacceptable, but on the other hand I don't know if I can bring myself to betray my family. This vote is going to be extremely complicated…" -Ryoma_

Just before the vote, Camilla and Elise met back up together, who went searching for the idol.

"Did you find it, sis?" Elise looked hopeful.

.

.

.

...Camilla shook her head. "I'm afraid I didn't. Sorry darling. We'll have better luck later." She said.

"Aw, it's okay sis." Elise hugged her sister. "Now let's go!"

" _Sakura is really conflicted tonight about what she wants to do. It's fine if she doesn't want to vote with us, but I feel like Subaki and Ryoma are the swing votes tonight. It'll be interesting to see what they do, but I do hope that our plan works." -Camilla_

* * *

Once the sun set, the twelve remaining players all headed down to the basement, Flash returning to the TV screen.

"So, here we all are. Our first merged Elimination Ceremony." Flash greeted. "Takumi, how would you say the transition from teams to every man for themselves has gone for everyone?"

"It's been going alright," Takumi answered. "We've got everyone going to their original countrymen as I expected."

"Xander, do you think tonight's vote will be as simple as Hoshido versus Nohr, or is it going to be more complex than that?" Flash asked.

"To answer that question Flash, I believe from what I've heard before the vote that things are going to be more complicated as we go along in the game."

"Sakura, what are you basing your vote off of?" Flash inquired.

"U-Um...I don't really enjoy the votes...but I don't r-really have any s-strategy tonight...just voting with my heart…" Sakura said.

"Camilla, what about you?" Flash then asked.

"My vote tonight is not about strategy, it's strictly personal." Camilla folded her arms. "I won't say why, but someone's attitude has been rubbing me the wrong way."

"Rinkah, it seems like everyone's holding their cards close to their chests. Any possible reason why?" Flash was curious.

"I don't know, really. My best bet is that something big's gonna go down that's gonna result in someone feeling bitter." Rinkah shrugged.

"Well, it seems like the only way to find out if there's any truth to that is to vote. Hinoka, you're up," Flash instructed.

Back outside, Azura was watching from the monitor on stage before the large audience awaiting the latest ousted partygoer.

"Things have been heating up in the game, and tonight it may just reach its boiling point. Hello everyone, and welcome back for another Elimination Ceremony." The monitor showed Hinoka in the voting booth. "Hinoka is determined to eliminate Leo tonight. Her vote should be obvious."

"Hello Hinoka! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Leo." Hinoka voted.

"Thanks, head on back." She left the booth, passing Camilla in the hall. The two locked eyes as they walked by one another.

"Camilla has a personal grudge against Hinoka since she masterminded Beruka's elimination. This vote should be obvious." Azura commented

"Hello Camilla! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate Hinoka. Maybe next time you'll consider your sister's feelings." Camilla voted.

"Alright, head on back." Camilla left, passing Leo in the hall.

"Leo has been quiet recently, having to not strategize due to Team Bufu's winning streak. How will he vote tonight?" Azura mused.

"Hello Leo! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Hinoka." Leo voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Leo left, passing Takumi in the hall.

"Like Hinoka, Takumi wants to eliminate Leo. His vote, like Hinoka's, should be obvious." Azura said.

"Hello Takumi! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate Leo." Takumi voted.

"Thanks, you can go on back." Takumi left, passing Rinkah in the hall.

"Rinkah isn't much for strategy, but is she right about how someone will feel betrayed?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Rinkah! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"Well, I'm voting to eliminate Prince Leo." Rinkah voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Rinkah got up and left, passing by Keaton in the hall.

"Keaton and Rinkah are sticking together, their alliance holding strong. Will Keaton stick to his vote against Leo? Or will he do something unexpected?" Azura thought aloud.

"Hello Keaton! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

"I'm voting to eliminate Prince Leo. Just playing the game." Keaton voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Keaton got up and left, passing by Xander in the hall.

"Being the head of the Nohrian royals, Xander should obviously be voting with his siblings." Azura commented.

"Hello Xander! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"My vote is simple, and I vote to eliminate Hinoka." Xander voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Xander left, passing Peri in the hall.

"Peri should be voting with her liege tonight, but anything can happen in Mario Party," Azura mused.

"Hello Peri! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

"I'm voting with Lord Xander, so my vote is for Hinoka. Bye bye!" Peri voted.

"Alright, you can head on back." Peri left, passing Elise in the hall.

"Elise and Sakura are in an alliance together, but will they stay together, or fall apart?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Elise! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Hinoka." Elise voted with confidence.

"Alright, you can head on back." Elise left the booth, passing Subaki in the hall.

"That is now 5 votes Hinoka, 4 votes Leo. Subaki is willing to do anything for his liege, so how will he vote tonight?" Azura mused.

"Hello Subaki! Please cast your vote to evict!" Flash requested.

"With perfect certainty, and it pains me to do this, I vote to eliminate Hinoka." Subaki voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Subaki got up and left, passing Sakura in the hall.

"Sakura is caught in between two choices tonight, her friend or her family. Her vote should be interesting." Azura commented.

"Hello Sakura! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"...I-I'm sorry…" Sakura was quiet at first, before looking up at the camera. "B-But I vote to e-eliminate...Hinoka…" She wiped a tear from her eye.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Sakura left the booth, passing by Ryoma in the hall. She gave him a hug before breaking the embrace, leaving her brother to step into the voting booth.

"With seven votes to eliminate, Hinoka's fate has been sealed. Let's see how Ryoma votes." Azura said.

"Hello Ryoma! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

"With a heavy heart, I vote to eliminate Hinoka. I hope she can find it in her heart to forgive me." Ryoma voted with a frown.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Ryoma then headed back, everyone awaiting the results.

"Alright everyone! The votes are in!" Flash began. "Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe. Those people are...Subaki, Sakura, Camilla, Rinkah, Keaton, Takumi, Xander, Peri, Elise, and Ryoma."

Hinoka wasn't worried, and Takumi smirked a little bit. Leo closed his eyes in annoyance, and Sakura clung onto Ryoma's arm.

"By a vote, of 8 to 4...Hinoka, you have been eliminated from Fates Party." Flash revealed.

The news came as a complete shock to Hinoka and Takumi, who looked as if they had just been stabbed in the back.

"What the...who flipped!?" Hinoka exclaimed.

Ryoma bowed his head in silence, while Sakura just started welling up. Hinoka grabbed her things, feeling heartbroken as she walked up the stairs and out on the stage. She received some applause as she sat down across from Azura, taken by surprise.

"A-Azura!? What're you doing here?" Hinoka wondered aloud.

"Flash requested I handle exit interviews," Azura answered calmly. "It's good to see you again. What do you think went wrong?"

"I guess...when I looked at Ryoma and Sakura, I knew that I played way too hard way too fast." Hinoka answered. "They were the ones who flipped, and Subaki."

"Would you have played differently if you had a second chance?" Azura asked.

"Obviously," Hinoka answered. "What I did in there didn't work, because I'm out here talking with you."

"You must really care about Sakura," Azura commented. "Is there more to it than your blood ties?"

"Yup...when Corrin was kidnapped at a young age, I took up the naginata because I wanted to get him back. It became a thing with my other siblings too. I'm not worried about Ryoma because...well, it's Ryoma. He can take care of himself. It's more Takumi, Sakura...and even Setsuna and Azama, even though I'm babysitting them most the time. Being the eldest daughter in the Hoshidan royal family, I feel as if it's my duty to protect them as well. I just wanted what was best for Sakura...I didn't want to hurt her feelings, and I'm sorry for that." Hinoka explained. "Man...look at me getting all misty eyed now." She wiped away a tear. "I wanted it to be the four of us in the final four, and we'd all take on that final challenge as one. Guess that's not going to happen."

"One more question, Hinoka. Do you think your other siblings will fare better than you did?" Azura inquired.

"I don't believe they'll have a hard time. They're all good competitors, and Sakura has shown to be as strong as us when it comes to this game. So yes, I think they'll do great." Hinoka smiled.

"I see. Well, it was great talking with you, Hinoka." The crowd cheered for her again as she went down the torchlit path.

Arriving at the house, Azama was surprised. "Lady Hinoka! I can't believe it...your gameplan was grounded, wasn't it?"

"It sure was Azama." Hinoka chuckled sitting down next to him on the couch. "It was was…"

(And, that's finally done.

So Hinoka. I never really used her but apparently I heard she's better off as a Spear Master rather than a Falcon Knight or whatever. In this story, her downfall was playing too hard too fast and it came back to bite her in the end when Sakura, Subaki, and even Ryoma flipped.

I'd like to say more, but I need to go to bed soon as it's a Sunday night, close to Midnight as I'm writing this author's end note. So I'm gonna give the clue.

Next time, we'll be **dreaming about space** and see the reaction to the vote from the final 11! See you all then.)


	10. Episode 9: Kids of the Future

(So here we go, another episode. Are you guys ready? I'm ready too. Before we begin I do want to say regarding the previous episode, this is where things start to get real. Don't worry, there'll be plenty of screwball antics to be had still. As if I would forget that. Now let's go!)

 **Episode 9: Kids of the Future**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _Sakura was conflicted on who to side with, Flash gave Leo some aloe vera for his sunburnt back, and Peri chased off reporters with a plant pot shard._

 _After the teams merged and learning about the twist Flash mentioned on the first day, they went to Castaway Bay to spend the night there, unaware that Flash had a resort there, and should anyone in a pair of contestants check in, they would be eliminated from the challenge._

 _Only three pairs remained the next day - Leo and Keaton, Ryoma and Camilla, and Peri and Elise. Leo, Ryoma, and Peri competed in the minigame Catch You Letter, with Peri netting herself, Xander, and Elise immunity from being voted off at that night's Elimination Ceremony._

 _Before the vote, Hinoka's aggressive gameplay was revealed to Camilla, who made it her mission to get the elder princess of Hoshido out of the game. Hinoka and Takumi planned to eliminate Leo due to his mental strength being a threat. Ryoma, Sakura, and Subaki were the three deciders of their fates._

 _At the vote however, the three of them decided to let the poison out and sent Hinoka packing in an 8-4 decision. 11 are left. Who will be voted out tonight?_

 **Final 11: Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Leo, Rinkah, Takumi, Keaton, Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma**

* * *

As the remaining players returned to their rooms, Takumi was angry at the results, looking at his siblings and Subaki. "I can't believe you three," He said. "Why did you guys flip!? We would've had the numbers to get rid of Leo!"

" _When I heard that Hinoka was eliminated, I felt like I was shot with over a thousand arrows. My own brother and sister voted against us! Now we're at the bottom and there's no way we'll be able to splinter the four Nohrians acting like they own the place! It's so unfair!" -Takumi_

"Because Hinoka's behavior towards your sister was inexcusable," Ryoma responded. "I didn't want to believe it when I heard about it, but it had to be done."

"Why do you say that?" Takumi asked.

"Because sometimes it's best to let the poison out." Ryoma folded his arms. "Hinoka was causing us problems with her attitude, and I felt it was best for our game that she be eliminated. She could also take this time to calm down after getting too competitive."

"You still screwed us!" Takumi flailed his arms around. "We're at the bottom now!"

"I...I didn't want to…" Sakura wiped a few tears away. "B-But...Ryoma has a point…"

"Lady Hinoka was making my liege uncomfortable with her aggressive gameplay," Subaki added. "I'll admit, we didn't handle this mess perfectly, but this was the best thing we could do."

"And why did you want me out?" Leo then spoke up, everyone else remaining quiet and letting this all unfold with mixed reactions.

"Because...you're the brains of the Nohrian royal family!" Takumi responded. "You're a huge threat!"

"Oh, _I'm_ a huge threat? Maybe so, I won't deny that first claim of yours. But I wouldn't consider me a 'huge threat' based on that alone. You can't trace anything back to me." Leo scoffed.

" _Takumi was really shaken after the votes were revealed. As far as I'm concerned, he's currently digging his own grave with this outburst, and his fellow countrymen, not of their own volition, handed him the shovel. My family and alliance should be safe in the upcoming votes." -Leo_

"Grr….go on and smirk all you want. I've got your trace and I know just where you can shove it. You might be in power currently, but mark my words. It won't be for long!" Takumi growled, stomping off to his room.

Once he was gone, everyone split off. Ryoma and Sakura stayed behind, Sakura really concerned for her brother.

"R-Ryoma? Is Takumi...gonna be o-okay?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know for certain, Sakura," Ryoma answered, eyes closed in thought. "He claims that the Nohrians are in power...but I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Huh? Why not?" Sakura perked up in curiosity.

"Peri suggested that the four members of Agi before the merge - myself, Xander, Peri, and Elise - should work together as we were a strong group." Ryoma explained in a low voice as they went to his room. "Camilla came to Xander and I, and told us about Hinoka's behavior. Even if I voted with them, we would have only had six votes, with one more for majority. Xander believed it would have to either be you or Subaki to do it. That's why I did what I did. Because I know you Sakura. I know you won't hold this against Hinoka forever."

"Y-Yeah...but I...I still voted her out…" Sakura responded. "U-Um...I did it because...I'm working with Elise…although I-I don't...I don't know what to do..."

"I see...to be honest, that doesn't surprise me," Ryoma commented.

"It doesn't?" Sakura got spooked all of the sudden.

"You and Elise were practically inseparable during the conflict," Ryoma pointed out. "So the two of you working together doesn't seem out of the ordinary. Who else are you two working with?"

"Well...that would be C-Camilla and Subaki…" Sakura honestly answered. "We're t-trying to get to the final four…"

" _Ryoma k-knows that I'm working with Elise...I had to tell someone. I j-just couldn't keep a s-secret…" -Sakura_

"And I believe the Agi members I'm aligned with so to speak have a similar motivation." Ryoma put a hand to his chin. "I believe we can use this to our advantage."

"We can?" Sakura was listening as the two stepped into his room.

"Exactly. You are currently aligned with the Nohrian princesses, and I am aligned with Xander and Elise. The only one out of this loop is Leo, but Takumi does have a point." Ryoma nodded.

"T-That he's a threat…?" Sakura wondered.

"Yes, Leo's brain power is a threat going forward. However, from what I can gather, he is unaware of our own final four deals with his other siblings. And the common link in this onion that's forming is none other than Elise, since she is in on all three of these alliances. We'll need to work with her to look for any sort of cracks that we could potentially slip through in order to stay alive." Ryoma continued.

" _With a little bit of deduction, it's not hard to see that Elise is the common link in between these final four alliances. To be quite honest, I didn't know she had it in her to be the big power player currently, but given who she has as family, they must have rubbed off on her." -Ryoma_

"I-I'll just...hope Elise is with us one hundred percent…" Sakura offered up a little prayer for their safety as she left Ryoma's room.

Speaking of Elise, she was meeting with Subaki and Camilla. Camilla had a triumphant smile.

"That's what she gets for being a bully," She mused.

"Yup! Only seven more votes to go and we are set!" Elise chirped.

" _I'm in a really, really good position right now. I'm in three alliances that are all going to help me get to the final four, and if I can get there, victory will surely come! Not bad for a budding flower like me!" -Elise_

"So...what to do about Lord Takumi?" Subaki asked in a slightly worried voice tone. "I'm worried that he might try to cripple our game."

"Don't worry Subaki," Elise reassured. "He doesn't know about our alliance yet. Heck, I don't think even Xander knows about it either."

"Are you sure about that? Xander is very perceptive, darling," Camilla cautioned.

"He didn't believe Father was evil until Leo literally spelled it out for him," Elise responded.

"Hmm...true, but Xander's had his better moments," Camilla agreed. "Think about it from his perspective - it was his own father that we believed was evil. Of course he would've been in denial."

"That does make sense," Subaki chimed. "So what's the plan now? If my count was right, those who didn't vote for Hinoka last night other than herself were Takumi, Rinkah, and Keaton."

"So one of those three are next?" Elise wondered.

"Yes, that could be the case," Camilla mused. "I am a bit concerned about Rinkah - her strength does make her a bit of a threat moving forward. That's the same reason Effie was eliminated, right?"

"Mhm…" Elise frowned.

" _Not only is Rinkah a challenge threat with her strength, but also because she and Keaton benefit from the pairs twist. I'm not worried about Keaton, so if we can split the two up he won't be as threatening to our alliance." -Camilla_

* * *

Meanwhile at Loser Lodge, Flash was speaking with Kagero.

"So you mean to tell me that you saw a female shadow in the fortress?" Flash inquired.

"I did," Kagero answered. "When I followed her, the trail led to a wall - a dead end. Assuming I stayed another round, I would have investigated further. If you could look into this for me, I would appreciate it."

"Sure can." Flash got up to leave back to his room at the fortress, but decided to check out the wall where Kagero claimed she saw the shadow go to. He put a hand to his chin, then slightly knocked on the wall. No response, but it made a sound that signaled to him it was hollow. "Normally I'd investigate further, but…" He yawned. "I'm tired…" Flash then went to bed, having decided to leave this be. But a smirk on his face told a different story...did he know something the others didn't?

* * *

The next morning, everyone gathered outside the entrance to the Dragon's Gate, Flash waiting for them there. He was a little late getting there.

"Sorry for being late everyone," Flash said. "I had to look into something. Apparently there's a shadow slinking around the fort when I'm not looking, but it's nothing to worry about. We've got a challenge today, so if you could all follow me." He walked through the Dragon's Gate, everyone else following him through.

Once on the other side, the group would find themselves at an area that was reminiscent of low budget television shows, this one being themed on dreams of the future and divided into three platforms. A Star Spirit with a brown mustache and glasses was next to Flash.

"Welcome everyone, to one of the many dreams found at Dream Depot - Future Dream!" Flash introduced. "This is Skolar - he's one of the Star Spirits and will be helping me host today's challenge."

"Uh, how can we breathe here?" Keaton asked.

"It's a dream world," Flash answered. "That, and author powers."

" _I've never seen anything like this before...heck, I don't think any of us have ever seen anything like this. It's going to be interesting to see how we all fare today." -Rinkah_

"Skolar, care to explain today's challenge?" Flash requested.

"Certainly," Skolar agreed. "Ladies and gentlemen, as Flash already said, I am Skolar, one of the seven Star Spirits that oversees the Dream Depot. I run a special event known as Super Battle Mode. Basically, we take parts to build battle machines with them and fight in tournaments."

"But since this is me we're talking about, that's not how it's going to work." Flash folded his arms with a smirk. "For today's challenge, you'll all be searching around Future Dream for these parts, and at most you'll really only need one. Once the time is up, and I'll say...3 hours maybe, we'll all meet back here. If you don't have a part, you'll be unable to compete in the second half of today's challenge."

"And the second half of today's challenge?" Xander inquired.

"Oh, we're gonna take the battle machines and you'll all fight for immunity. Last one with a functioning machine wins, and if a pair are the last two with functioning mechs, then they'll both win immunity. Simple enough?" Flash finished. Everyone nodded when Silas suddenly approached Flash.

"They're gone," He started.

"Huh?" Flash turned around to face him.

"The machine parts Kaze and I hid. Someone took them." Silas grimly informed.

"...You mean to tell me, that someone took all those parts that I went through all the trouble of buying?" Flash sounded a bit upset.

"We're working on finding the perpetrator, if you could just give us more-" Suddenly, the group heard a loud clunking noise to the left. As they all looked, they saw a white and large bipedal rabbit, somewhat bigger than a regular one, carrying some sort of mountable turret gun.

"...You've gotta be kidding me…" Skolar looked down.

"Hey, what're those?" Elise sounded curious.

"Those are called Rabbids. The thing they're most known for is causing havoc and mischief and- _how did they get here?!_ " Flash's response of shock was mostly delayed, prompting the Rabbid to stare at all of them. Ryoma slowly approached it.

"We mean you no harm," He said. "Return the machine parts to us, and we can pretend this never happened."

However...the Rabbid put down the part...and suddenly shouted, "BWAAAAAHHH!" The Rabbid rushed Ryoma, biting down on his arm in thinking he was a lobster. Ryoma yelled out in pain as the others ran over to help get the creature off of him. With a bit of difficulty, they pried the Rabbid off of Ryoma as it ran away, taking the machine part with him.

"Ryoma, you alright?" Flash instantly asked.

"Gods, that hurt…" Was Ryoma's response. Kaze soon appeared, having brought Sakura's rod.

"Do you need this for a moment?" He asked.

"Yes." Flash tossed the rod to Sakura. "Heal your brother." Sakura did so, fixing up Ryoma's arm.

"W-What now?" Sakura asked, handing the rod back to Kaze as soon as she was done.

"...Okay. Normally I don't have any problems with the Rabbids since I find them a bit funny...but they crossed a _line_ when that happened, and another one for messing with my show." Flash paused, a hint of anger present in his voice. "Everyone! There's a revision on this challenge effective immediately. Track down those Rabbids, beat the crap out of them, and recover at least one machine part to compete in the second half of today's challenge. Any parts we don't get back, Silas, Kaze, and myself will recover those later. Those furballs couldn't have gotten far...how long ago was the theft, Silas?"

"Just before we arrived here," Silas informed.

"Alright. They should still be here. I'll close off the Dragon's Gate so they can't escape. Everyone else, the hunt begins now. Go!" With that, the eleven contestants all split up and began the search.

* * *

Elise and Sakura wound up going together, mainly chasing after the Rabbid that bit Ryoma.

"Did ya see which way it went?" Elise asked.

"U-Um...not really…" Sakura answered, looking around warily. Suddenly, something hit Elise in the backside, causing her to fall flat on her face.

"Woah!" Elise exclaimed before falling. When Sakura got a better look at what shot Elise, she would find that there was a plunger stuck there.

"...Wha?" Sakura blinked in confusion, then spotted two Rabbids with plunger guns pointing and laughing at Elise, who was getting back up.

"Yeesh, what the…?" Elise turned her head back to try and get a better look at what was stuck on her backside. "What the heck is this?" She grabbed onto the handle and pulled, trying to get it off but to no avail. She pulled harder, then exclaimed in a pleading tone, "Sakura! Help me!"

" _We're looking for the Rabbid that bit Ryoma, and all of the sudden I get shot in the butt with this weird thing…*turns around to show the plunger* Seriously, what the heck is this thing? And why can't I get it off!?" -Elise_

Sakura grabbed onto the plunger handle and pulled too, and she had a similar struggle. She couldn't get it off Elise, causing the Rabbids to laugh even harder.

Elise spotted them and ran over in a bit of a huff. They didn't bother running, and Elise decided to take advantage of her misfortune. Swinging her hips around, she used the handle of the plunger to hit one of the Rabbids in the head, causing them to spin around and fall back, knocked out from the force of the blow. The second Rabbid tried to pounce on Sakura, but the younger Nohrian princess delivered a roundhouse kick to strike their enemy square in the face, suffering a similar fate that the first Rabbid did.

"Don't ever attack my friend like that," Elise huffed at the defeated Rabbids.

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief when the Rabbids went down. "Elise...t-that was…"

"Awesome? I know!" Elise giggled, then looked back at the plunger, still stuck on her. "But we're still gonna have to get this off of me…"

"W-We'll get it off...I promise…" Sakura responded.

" _Elise...protected me f-from those Rabbids...Hotoke only knows what w-would've happened if she didn't…" -Sakura_

* * *

Meanwhile, Peri, Xander, and Ryoma were on the hunt for machine parts. They just went through the red teleporter when they spotted a Rabbid holding a plunger like a sword. This one was different from the other Rabbids due to wearing a section of a shower curtain like a cape and had a crown on its head that was clearly some cardboard crown one would get at a fast food restaurant. The plunger was pointed right at the trio, and the Rabbid was raving about...something. None of them could understand what it was trying to say.

"Do...either of you know what that thing is going on about?" Xander asked.

"I think it's trying to challenge us to a duel, Lord Xander," Peri guessed.

"It's pointing that...thing at us like a sword," Ryoma added. "So you're not entirely wrong."

With a loud "BWAHHHHH!", the three would find themselves being surrounded by plunger wielding Rabbids.

"Gods, how many of them are there!?" Xander exclaimed.

"This shouldn't be a problem for us!" Peri giggled. "You guys are the kings of Nohr and Hoshido, and these rabbits with their weird sticks can't hold a candle to your level of skill!"

As Peri was looking for something to use as a weapon, two Rabbids rushed her. One of them jumped up to try and do a downward cleave, only for Peri to punch it in the face with a hard overhand right, sending it flying back into the crowd of enemies. She grabbed the plunger it dropped to fight with the second Rabbid, swinging it hard enough to break it over the head of the enemy.

Her eyes went to the sharp ends of the now broken plunger, quickly gaining a grin on her face. The Rabbids, clearly oblivious to the danger Peri possessed with any sort of sharp instrument, all rushed her looking to dogpile the retainer. Xander and Ryoma threw their lot in to help her, disarming two Rabbids before kicking them away.

" _We were in an all out battle with those Rabbids, and to be honest, I lost count of how many we defeated. Our options on weapons were limited, so we had to use what they were using. Even though they weren't proper swords, they were still as effective." -Xander_

Ryoma and Xander were fighting back to back, swinging at incoming Rabbids to bat them away, as Peri was fighting aggressively and throwing a Rabbid off of her that jumped on her back. The Rabbid with the crown had enough of watching its soldiers get harassed, and rushed Xander...only to get defeated by one slash of the plunger. The rest of the Rabbids scattered, carrying their wounded.

"For the glory of Nohr!" Xander exclaimed.

Peri had hearts in her eyes. "You were amazing, Lord Xander~!" She complimented. Ryoma spotted a few things that the Rabbids seemed to have been guarding.

"What do we have here?" When he got a closer look, Ryoma would find three machine parts! "We have our parts." He told the other two.

"Excellent." Xander smiled. "Now...let's go assist the others."

"Huh? Why should we?" Peri wondered.

"Because one, I said so. And two, it's the right thing to do." Xander answered. "This is our new Nohrian way, Peri."

"Okay! Whatever you say!" Peri chirped, rushing off back through the red teleporter after grabbing one of the machine parts for herself.

" _Peri is quite devoted to Xander. It makes me concerned moving forward if he would take her over any of his siblings. Or for that matter, if he'd attempt to ride all the way to the final battle with her over anyone else." -Ryoma_

* * *

With Takumi, he was still pretty steamed about last night. So much so he almost didn't notice a Rabbid preparing to ambush him with a plunger gun. Quickly spotting him, Takumi rushed to cover. He needed something to fight back with.

"Gah, if I just had my Fujin Yumi…" He lamented.

" _Maybe if I can get to that stupid Rabbid and steal his weapon, I'll be able to fight back. Ugh, why did Flash have to take our weapons and mounts before this all started?" -Takumi_

Takumi spotted another Rabbid, who didn't notice him yet. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the Rabbid and bashed it over the head. It let out a loud 'DAHHH!' as Takumi used the Rabbid as a shield, getting closer to the one with the plunger gun. Using the Rabbid he was utilizing as a shield, now having a plunger on its face, Takumi started treating the creature as a club and beat the other one senseless. Yanking the plunger off the first Rabbid, Takumi loaded it into the gun.

"...That felt good," Takumi said to himself, getting a smirk on his face. He then went out looking for other Rabbids to beat up.

* * *

Rinkah and Keaton were out searching for machine parts as well. Keaton's ears perked up when he heard something that sounded like...music?

"Where you going this time?" Rinkah asked him.

"I think there's some Rabbids over there. I'll go take a look!" Keaton was off before Rinkah could even stop him. Again.

" _Keaton's always darting off to do some crazy thing. It'll get him in trouble one of these days, but I think I'll go after him this time and see what's up." -Rinkah_

Before Rinkah could get very far, she bumped into something. The something was a largely built Rabbid carrying a large slab of purple rock. It didn't look all that smart, but it did look strong. People who have played the Mario and Rabbids crossover would know this thing as a Smasher.

The Smasher looked at Rinkah, letting out some sort of roar before swinging the slab down at her. Steeling herself for impact, she pushed against the slab and held strong to keep it from crushing her. Rinkah was straining to hold on, gritting her teeth as her muscles were being put to the test. After just several seconds of this, which to her felt like minutes, the Smasher started to give. She used this to her advantage and pushed hard against the rock slab, catching the Smasher off guard. Acting quickly, Rinkah took hold of the rock slab and hit the Smasher with it. The force was hard enough to crack the rock slab, and knock the Smasher out cold.

"Hah...heh...hoof...more fuel to the fire." Rinkah smiled, wiping a bit of sweat off her brow. She spotted something behind the now defeated Smasher, and it turned out to be a machine part. Quickly, Rinkah took it and then went off to find Keaton.

Back with Keaton, he used his spyglass to see where the music was coming from, spying four Rabbids on a makeshift stage with multiple instruments. One had a guitar, a second was at a drum kit, a third was at a piano, and the last one held a mic. He moved closer to see what was going on as they started performing for an audience of about thirty five Rabbids.

Keaton spotted a few papers and decided to see what they said. "'Smoke on the Water', huh?" He mused, the papers having the lyrics for the Deep Purple song on them. Keaton was reading them over as the Rabbid on stage began to sing.

" _We all came out to Montreux_

 _On the Lake Geneva shoreline_

 _To make records with a mobile_

 _We didn't have much time_

 _Frank Zappa and the Mothers_

 _Were at the best place around_

 _But some stupid with a flare gun_

 _Burned the place to the ground_

 _Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky_

 _Smoke on the water"_

As the first guitar solo rolled around, Keaton found himself getting in tune with the music. He got a grin on his face, walking on the stage. The Rabbids didn't seem to care as they were mesmerized by the music, going in to the second verse. Keaton and the Rabbid on the mic began to sing together.

" _They burned down the gambling house_

 _It died with an awful sound_

 _Funky Claude was running in and out_

 _Pulling kids out the ground_

 _When it all was over_

 _We had to find another place_

 _But Swiss time was running out_

 _It seemed that we would lose the race_

 _Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky_

 _Smoke on the water"_

It was worth noting that when they hit 'over', Keaton howled a little bit like a wolf while hitting that note. Keaton mainly handled the final part of the song, the Rabbid now being more like a backup singer in this regard.

" _We ended up at the Grand Hotel_

 _It was empty, cold and bare_

 _But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside_

 _Making our music there_

 _With a few red lights, a few old beds_

 _We made a place to sweat_

 _No matter what we get out of this_

 _I know, I know we'll never forget_

 _Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky_

 _Smoke on the water"_

As the band played the rest of the song out, Keaton couldn't help but clap. "Yeah! That was awesome!" He exclaimed. Once they were done, the four onstage Rabbids looked at him for a moment...then all let out screams and started beating him up. The audience all laughed at his plight, but they all scattered when they saw Rinkah approach, wielding a metal pipe as a makeshift weapon. One Rabbid that didn't see the others run was cracked over the head by Rinkah so hard, she bent the pipe out of shape.

"Gods, Keaton! You alright?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah...I'll live." Keaton got up, sporting a few bruises as he dusted himself off.

" _Everybody's a critic...I thought I did so well! I even thought the Rabbids weren't that bad on the other instruments! Doesn't that count for something?" -Keaton_

* * *

With Subaki, he was mainly looking for Sakura and Elise when he couldn't help but notice that a number of Rabbids were laying out, defeated. The strange this was they had multiple plungers stuck to their bodies, and heard a familiar voice.

"Tch, I really need to start shooting them in the face." It was Takumi! And he had a sense of burning vengeance clearly seen in his eyes.

"Lord Takumi! What's wrong?" Subaki exclaimed in alarm. Takumi pointed the gun at Subaki, only to lower it when he saw who it was.

"Oh. It's just you," Takumi said. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Are you trying to get over last night?" Subaki guessed.

"Why do you care, traitor?" Takumi scowled. "You abandoned Hoshido and voted Hinoka out."

"I did not abandon Hoshido," Subaki defended. "This is merely a game, something Hinoka had forgotten once we began playing. If I truly abandoned Hoshido, I would've abandoned Lady Sakura. I'd sooner die than betray her. And that's not even taking the severe beating I'd receive from Hana…"

"..." Takumi fell quiet, decided to just shoot Subaki in the chest with a plunger. This had him stumble back onto a metal platform in front of a green rocket.

"Time sequence activated. Prepare for liftoff." A voice said. The platform rose up and inserted Subaki inside. After a three second countdown, the rocket took off to the westernmost section of the area. "Destination reached." The voice said again, opening up and letting Subaki step out.

" _As I was looking for Lady Sakura and Lady Elise, this large...rocket, I believe it's called, brought me back to where I just was looking for any sort of machine parts. This is going to be a long day." -Subaki_

* * *

Elsewhere with Camilla and Leo, the two were searching around when they came across a burly Rabbid standing outside a door. The two siblings looked at one another, getting an idea.

"Think there might be a machine part or two hiding behind that door?" Leo guessed.

"Certainly," Camilla agreed.

" _Leo and I decided to team up again for this challenge since we worked so well together before the merge. We're such a dynamic duo, he and I. He's the brains between the two of us, and I'm the brawn. It's perfect." -Camilla_

The burly Rabbid noticed the two of them and started yelling in Rabbid speak, but paused upon seeing Camilla.

"Sister, I do believe your talents for 'persuasion' are required here." Leo smirked.

With a slight chuckle, Camilla gave a nod, slowly approaching the Rabbid. "We don't mean any harm, dear…" She held out her arms going in for a hug, the Rabbid none the wiser about what she was going to attempt.

Without warning, Camilla wrapped the Rabbid into a strong bear hug, smothering its face into her generous rack. As it flailed around trying to get free, Camilla's grip held firm as the struggling from the Rabbid soon stopped, going limp. Tossing the unconscious door guard aside, she motioned for Leo to follow her inside.

When they entered inside, sitting in a spinning lounge chair was a Rabbid in a black pinstripe suit and had a scar on his face that looked eerily like Tony Montana's. But the real kicker was it held a machine gun in its hands, pointing it at the two. It let out a string of bwahs and dahs that sounded like 'Say hello to my little friend!', prompting Camilla to jump in front of Leo. Instead of firing bullets, it fired eggs, every single one of them striking Camilla all over.

As Leo was trying to process what was going on, the Rabbid shot off something from the underbarrel of the gun, and it was an egg with some sort of explosive attached to it. Thinking quickly, Leo reached out to grab it, and was careful not to break the egg. As it beeped, he threw it back at the Rabbid, not wanting to know what would happen if he held onto it any longer. It was at this time it was out of eggs to shoot, trying to reload, but the explosive egg defeated it before it could shoot off any more.

Camilla fell on her hands and knees after the shooting stopped, covered in egg yolks and had eggshell pieces slightly embedded in her exposed skin. Leo helped her up. "Are you alright?" He asked with worry. Camilla gave him a faint smile.

"I'll live," She said. "Seeing my baby brother safe from harm takes all the pain away."

"Glad to hear it," Leo responded. As the two looked around, Leo was helping Camilla getting the bits of eggshell removed. Once that was done, they'd find that there were two machine parts in the office. Satisfied with their findings, Leo and Camilla left to go get the latter cleaned off.

" _Well, that was certainly something. Never imagined I'd be the one protecting Camilla, normally she and Xander and the ones keeping me and Elise safe from any harm. But when that exploding egg was concerned, our roles were reversed. It felt nice to repay her." -Leo_

* * *

Back with Sakura and Elise, they spotted a familiar individual carrying an egg inside an incubator. It was Junior!

"Hey, it's Junior!" Elise exclaimed. "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyy!" She waved over to him. Junior yelped out in surprise, being very careful not to drop what he was carrying.

"J-Junior?" Sakura wondered. The son of Bowser walked on over.

"I didn't expect to see you two here," He said. "Does that mean everyone else…"

"Yup!" Elise chirped. "Oh, this is Sakura. She's my best friend from Hoshido. Sakura, this is Junior. He's the super sweet son of Bowser."

Sakura jumped a little bit upon the mention of Bowser. "B-B-Bowser!?"

"Woah, hey, relax!" Elise reassured. "Junior's not a meanie."

"Yeah!" Junior agreed.

"So um...w-what's with the egg?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, this?" Junior set it down in front of the two girls. "I don't know how this got here, but all I know was the Rabbids were going to do...I don't want to know what they would've done. I was just getting some things for Papa..."

 _Flashback…_

 _Junior was merely walking around Future Dream, looking for things that Bowser needed him to find. He looked at a list having everything he needed to gather, when suddenly he heard the sounds of Rabbids._

" _Huh?" Junior looked up from the list to see a group of Rabbids surrounding the egg incubator. All of them were poking it and put their faces on the glass. Suddenly, one of them looked around and grabbed a wrench. Junior, not wanting to take any chances, dropped the list and ran over._

 _Retreating into his shell, Junior spun around and launched into the Rabbid with the wrench, nailing it square in the face._

" _Step away from the egg!" Junior demanded. The Rabbids all let out a collective bwah and rushed the Koopa prince._

 _Junior breathed fire at one of the incoming Rabbids, then spun backwards in his shell to avoid getting dogpiled by the others. He then rammed into them like they were bowling pins, grabbing the egg incubator. A Rabbid tried to strike him with a plunger, but Junior grabbed the handle and struggled with the enemy, managing to overpower the Rabbid and stick it onto his face. Seeing that all the Rabbids were defeated, he grabbed the egg incubator and ran, not before finding the list of things he needed to get still._

 _End Flashback…_

"Wow...hey, there's a note attached to it." Elise spotted a little folded card tied to the outside of the incubator, reading what it said. "'Take care of this precious little angel! -HG'" She paused upon seeing the initials. "HG...could it be from the Hint Giver?"

"I don't know who this HG person is...do you know them?" Junior asked.

"Yeah, she's been...wait a minute…" Elise got an idea. "Sakura, help me open this."

"B-But, aren't we not supposed to…" Sakura started.

"Relax, I'll take very good care of this egg 'till it hatches!" Elise reassured. So with that, the three opened up the incubator, Elise taking the egg in her hands. When she did, she spotted a little bulge under the cloth the egg was sitting on. She reached for it, handing the egg to Sakura while she saw what it was.

Wrapped in cloth with a note attached, inside had a strange little trinket that featured the Hoshidan and Nohrian symbol merged into one, the left side painted red and being Hoshidan and the right side painted purple and being Nohrian.

"Could it be…?" Elise took the note and read it. "'Congratulations, you have found the Hidden Immunity Idol!'" She hugged Junior. "Oh, thank you! This is huge!"

"Huh?" Junior was just as confused as Sakura. Elise kept reading the note.

"'After the votes have been read, you can use this idol to save yourself or someone else from being eliminated, and the person with the second highest number of votes will be eliminated instead. What you do with this information is up to you. From Flash.' Sakura, this is big!" She finished.

" _If it wasn't for Junior, I wouldn't have found the idol. *holds it up* But I got it! I can't wait to tell Camilla that we found it, and this is going to be a huge boon for my alliance with her and Sakura!" -Elise_

Elise quickly hid the idol on her person as Junior noticed the plunger stuck to her butt. "Hey, you want me to help you get that off you?" He asked, pointing to the plunger.

"Yeah, please!" Elise requested. With Junior's help, Elise was able to get the plunger off her backside. "Thanks!"

"Welcome!" Junior responded. "Now if you ladies will excuse me, I gotta go finish getting all this stuff for Papa. He would be really unhappy if I didn't get this done." With that, Junior scuttled off to finish his task.

" _T-This turned out great...we found an egg...this i-idol that Elise was going on about, and um...I just can't help but wonder...what is B-B-Bowser planning? I'm scared to find out…" -Sakura_

* * *

Back with Peri, Xander, and Ryoma, the three came across the aftermath of Takumi's rampage.

"Woah...someone must've been really angry," Peri commented.

"I think I might know who," Ryoma added. "Where did Takumi go off to?"

"You think Takumi made this mess?" Xander inquired.

"No doubt in my mind. He must still be upset about what happened regarding last night," Ryoma answered. "Obviously he's been taking his frustration out on the Rabbids."

As Ryoma spoke, Peri was searching the aftermath for any signs of machine parts, and found quite a few.

"Hey, check this out! Lord Takumi must've left behind all these parts in his anger." She held up a couple. "Of course, he might have taken one for himself."

"He would've taken one for himself," Xander reasoned. "Regardless, this is a great find."

" _I feel that what we should do with these parts is give them to the others who don't have any. I'd rather win fairly against everyone rather than a select few by default. Some may call it honor before reason, but I see it as the new Nohrian way." -Xander_

Suddenly Flash's voice was heard across the area. "Your attention please! The three hours are now up! Report back to the starting area with any machine parts you found as soon as possible so we can begin the second half of the challenge."

"Well, looks like we've got the hard job of carrying all this back." Peri already got to dragging some parts back to the starting area. Xander and Ryoma soon chipped in.

* * *

Once everyone returned to the starting area, Keaton was covered in dirt and some bruises, Subaki still had the plunger stuck to his chest, Takumi was smiling and has his plunger gun in one hand, and Camilla still had quite a bit of egg yolk on her. Flash only had a soft smirk in amusement.

"Wow. What happened to you guys?" He asked the four.

"I got beat up for trying to sing," Keaton said.

"Lord Takumi shot me with this thing and I was caught in an endless loop," Subaki added.

"I'm feeling so much better from showing these Rabbids who the strong one in my family is," Takumi beamed.

"And I protected my baby brother from harm against 30 something eggs from a strange weapon." Camilla finished, feeling satisfied with what she did.

"Gotcha. And what's with the egg?" Flash pointed to the egg that Sakura and Elise had. Elise was carrying the incubator they found it in.

"Um...well, w-we had it given to us…" Sakura spoke.

"Well I'd put it back in the incubator if I were you two." Flash walked over to do that for them, reading the note attached. "HG...hmm. Well, it's probably nothing important, other than one more thing for us to do in this fun party. Alright!" He stepped back over to Skolar. "For those who have at least one machine part, please step forward now."

Peri, Xander, Ryoma, Camilla, Leo, Takumi, and Rinkah all stepped forward.

"Alright, got almost everyone," Flash commented.

"We will have everyone if they wish," Xander responded.

"Oh?" Flash cocked his head to the side a little. "What do you mean by that?"

"As we were looking for the others just before time ran out, Peri, Ryoma, and myself found quite a few machine parts lying out in the open with a score of defeated Rabbids. Whoever dealt with them must have forgotten them." Xander showed the spare parts to him.

"One, two, three, four- we have enough for everyone else!" Flash turned his attention to Keaton, Sakura, Elise, and Subaki. "Alright, so Xander is willing to give you four a chance to compete for immunity. All I need from each of you is a simple yes or no if you want to compete. I won't penalize you if you refuse, since this show isn't about competing to embarrass each other."

"Sure, I'd love to," Keaton answered.

"Count me in!" Elise giggled.

"...U-Um...I'm scared to, so I'd...like to sit out…" Sakura meekly declined, causing Takumi to grumble.

" _Of course, Sakura doesn't want to compete in today's challenge, and if Subaki doesn't win, she's a prime target for the Nohrians to get rid of. Sakura! What are you doing!?" -Takumi_

"Don't worry, Lady Sakura. I'll give it my all to ensure your safety," Subaki vowed.

"Alright. Sakura, you'll take a seat with me behind the barricades when the challenge is going on - for your safety, of course. Come with me." Flash instructed, to which she walked over to Flash holding the incubator. "Everyone else, head with Skolar, and he'll get you guys set up." The ten other players went with Skolar through a teleporter, and Sakura followed Flash through a separate one.

The ten players participating in the second half of the challenge arrived in a mechanic's workshop, asking for everyone's attention. "Now, this is where the magic happens. There's a station for each of you marked with your name. Find the one with your name and place the machine part you wish to use down. I will be with you as fast as I can to complete the set and get you ready for the battle royale." He said.

Everyone was amazed by the workshop's layout as they set out to their stations.

" _This place...this place was amazing! *tail starts wagging* All the different things, the smells, the entire experience was a legitimate thrill! All the other wolfskin are going to be so envious when I tell them all about this!" -Keaton_

Before Elise went to hers, she went to Camilla. "Hey, remember that idol the Hint Giver mentioned yesterday?" She whispered.

"I do. What about it?" Camilla inquired. The younger Nohrian princess showed her sister the idol, who had a smile on her face. "Oh, this is wonderful."

" _If Ryoma hadn't told us about this idol, we would've been in the dark about its place in the game and power. But with the idol in our hands, my alliance with Elise becomes all the more powerful. Especially when it concerns my plans; there's a reason Elise adores me. I'll be using it to the fullest extent to help my game." -Camilla_

Once Skolar gave everyone a primer on how the machines worked, he quickly got everyone set up for the Battle Royale.

Everyone's set-ups were as follows:

Subaki - Lakitu Cloud

Camilla - Heart

Leo - E. Gadd

Rinkah - Star

Takumi - Spiny

Keaton - Choo-Choo

Xander - Mushroom

Peri - Egg

Elise - DK

Ryoma - Boo

One last thing to note was that everyone had the same parts except for the chassis (Mushroom Gun, E. Gadd Jet, and Skolar Engine) all in the sake of fairness.

* * *

The arena was a large, circular arena with ten platforms that would open up once the players were about to come out to face one another. It was a pretty packed house, as people from all across Hoshido, Nohr, and other places where Fates Party was able to be seen had arrived to witness the challenge live. In a small section that was on the left side of the arena sat Flash and Sakura; all of the spectators would find that the arena was enclosed in a dome of very durable plexiglass to protect anyone watching the Battle Royale, situated on top of a foot and a half tall steel barricade.

Sakura held her ears, the egg incubator sitting in her lap, the noise from the other spectators was getting to be a bit much for her.

"Earplugs?" Flash offered.

"A-Arigatou…" Sakura thanked.

"Welcome." Flash gave them to her, grabbing a mic. "I'll be right back." He exited a door from his section with Sakura and walked out to the center of the arena, holding up his left land. He cleared his throat first before speaking, doing his best to sound like Bruce Buffer. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is! The main event of the evening! Live from Future Dream, with promotional consideration from the Dream Depot! Iiiiiiiiiiiiittttttt's! TIIIIIIIMMMMEE!" A loud roar of cheers came from the audience. "Without further ado, let's bring out our contestants for this important part of today's immunity challenge!" The platforms opened up, bringing the ten competitors up into the arena, all of them amazed with how many people turned out to see them do battle.

" _The amount of people that were in the stands were about the same amount that came out to see the fighting tournament I was in - every match was always a full house! There were a few thousand people that came to watch us all fight! It was amazing, kee hee!" -Peri_

"And now, for the rules of this second half of today's immunity challenge: There is no time limit as to how long this will go on for, and will proceed onwards to the last individual standing. I trust Skolar briefed you on how these bad boys work, so I'll say no further regarding that." Flash added. "For when your mech breaks down, you will be automatically warped to a separate section where you will wait until a winner has been decided. I want a good clean fight, the battle begins at the sound of the horn, best of luck to all of you." With that, Flash went back to his section with Sakura, a grin present on his face. Sakura began to offer up a silent prayer for everyone's safety.

Flash slammed down on a red button with a gavel, followed by a loud horn sounding the beginning of the battle. Spotlights of varying colors focused on the arena, illuminating the battlefield as everyone began moving.

It was very clear that this battle would be quite a spectacle, as everyone seemed to be steering towards people they wanted to work with. Xander fired the first shot at Ryoma, trying to score any sort of hits on him. Ryoma fired back, the two men evenly matched.

Camilla's first instinct was to get to Elise and Leo, doing whatever kind of damage she could in hopes of protecting them in a gambit to get them all as the final three in. She didn't really care who she was shooting at, moreso she cared about who she wasn't shooting at.

Takumi on the other hand, mainly focused on not losing, so he was firing wildly, not really caring about who he struck with his shots.

" _This isn't so different from shooting arrows, so I had a good feeling I'd win today's challenge. Then I'll do whatever possible to make sure one of the Nohrians gets sent out the door and make their power crumble underneath them!" -Takumi_

Rinkah and Keaton went on the aggressive, working together to try and curb any sort of challenge they had in their way. Both worked well together, focusing on trying to be the last two in together.

" _Keaton and I looked at each other and knew that if we were both the last two standing, there'd be no need to destroy the other as we'd both win immunity. Simple as that. So that's why we were working together this challenge." -Rinkah_

Peri turned out to be the first to fall, working to keep Xander in as long as possible before she was taken out of the battle. Subaki soon followed after, trying to accomplish too much, too fast, and ended up overextending himself.

Xander and Ryoma, hilariously wound up taking each other out, much to the approval of the audience.

With six left in the challenge, Takumi turned his focus to the Nohrians. Elise quickly returned fire, looking to be useful here. Leo chimed in safely from behind Elise's machine, aiming for his sisters to take the brunt of Takumi's attack.

" _It's quite simple from a tactical standpoint in this challenge to let my sisters take the damage for me so that if they were to fall, my opponents would be weakened from the fighting earlier, allowing for an easier immunity win. Classic tactics if you ask me." -Leo_

Unfortunately for Leo, he had to fend off Rinkah and Keaton who tried flanking him and his sisters while they were focused on Takumi. Elise fell after sustaining too much from the Hoshidan prince, leaving Leo and Camilla to deal with the remaining two.

All of the sudden a loud roar shook the arena as a hole in the wall was formed. It was Bowser! And he was driving in a large machine styled after himself that made the others look small in comparison. Affixed to the front was a mechanical fist, also styled after the Koopa King.

Sakura let out a sudden, long shriek at seeing Bowser, holding the egg close to her. Flash cursed under his breath.

"You again!" He exclaimed.

"Bwahahahaha! The King of Awesome is in the building!" Bowser guffawed.

"I never thought we'd cross paths again, Bowser…" Rinkah growled. "Are you prepared to reap what you've sown?"

"Far from it, Hothead!" Bowser scoffed. "I'm here to stop this party dead in its tracks!

"Don't know if you've noticed yet, but there's four of us, and merely one of you," Leo commented. "So how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Bowser's mere response was to breathe a fireball at them, but Rinkah surprised the group by taking the fireball for them. While her mech was out of commission, she jumped from the wreckage perfectly fine.

"What!?" Bowser exclaimed with shock.

"This is the strength of the Flame Tribe. I can take any sort of fire you would be able to throw at me all day if I have to." Rinkah folded her arms with a smirk, with singed clothing being the only damage to speak of. Keaton jumped out of his machine, worried.

"Yeah, but I don't think you can take getting crushed by that giant thing he's driving," He deadpanned. He turned to Camilla and Leo. "Good luck you guys." Keaton then spotted something, rushing off with Rinkah to go see what it was.

"Stall him for a little bit, you two!" Flash exclaimed. "I'll be right back!" He then ran off to go get something.

"W-Where are you going!?" Sakura asked in a bit of worry.

"I'm going to get something that'll stop Bowser, that's what!" Flash called back as he vanished off to go find the thing he was thinking of.

"Is there a plan, dear brother?" Camilla inquired.

"He can't chase after both of us at once. Split up and goad him into chasing you. If you can, get up on his mech and fight him if you can." Leo explained. "But...do be careful. I don't want to risk losing you."

"Oh, don't be silly Leo. It'll take _far_ more than this brute to put me away," Camilla laughed. "Let's do this." With that, the two Nohrians split up - Leo to the left, and Camilla to the right.

" _As we split up, I was immediately worried sick about Camilla and what she would do. She is brave, and she does have great strength, but I'm worried that she'll get too reckless...and I might be painting her to be a threat unless something happens." -Leo_

Bowser turned his head both ways to try and figure out who to go after, and then saw Camilla stand up in her machine.

"What's the matter, Bowser?" She chuckled. "Don't you remember Pagoda Peak?" She stood up on her seat, turning around and looking up at the crowd. "I'm right here," The princess mused, bending forward a bit. "Come and get me." This action got some rather excited cheers, wolf whistles and camera flashes from both directions, much to her amusement.

With a roar, Bowser drove right after Camilla, who was prepared for this. Getting turned back around and seated, she drove right out of the way, getting ready to jump onto Bowser's machine. During this, the machine that Keaton left behind was driven over.

Once she was right beside Bowser, Camilla made her move and jumped up onto his machine, grabbing hold of one of his arms to wrest control of it from him. The two scuffled for several minutes, and when it looked like one would get the upper hand over the other, it would return to a stalemate.

All that changed when Flash charged through the hole Bowser left driving a forklift, ramming it straight into Bowser's machine and tipping it over on the side. Both Bowser and Camilla fell out and landed face first on the ground. Bowser got up and saw his machine now trashed.

"Just as planned," Camilla beamed, rushing over to Leo.

Bowser chuckled. "I have a spare...Minions! Bring in my spare!" He ordered.

"Spare?" Flash wondered, hopping out of the forklift. A car horn was heard throughout the arena, and quite a few minions of Bowser's brought in his car seen in Super Mario 3D World.

Leo cursed under his breath. "Now what do we do?" He asked Camilla. However, Keaton and Rinkah returned to the arena.

"Yeah, uh...we're not letting you get away with this," Keaton said with indifference.

"Oh yeah? And how do you plan on doing that, Wolfie?" Bowser laughed. "You don't have anything that can break this beauty of mine!"

"...Is that so? Well then." He turned to Rinkah. "Get the thing." Rinkah went off a short distance, wheeling back a fire kit. Keaton opened it up, reached in and grabbed one of the fire axes inside, handing the other to Rinkah.

"On second thought…" Leo was amazed.

"Leo, I think we should let them handle this," Camilla advised.

Without warning, Keaton started swinging his fire axe right at the driver's side door, getting it stuck on the second swing. As he twisted it trying to free it, Rinkah smashed one of the car mirrors by cutting it clean off the car and falling to the ground.. Bowser shouted out in horror, with wild cheers from the crowd. Keaton managed to free his axe and resumed wailing on the car, Rinkah cutting at the tires and sides.

"Oh Gods, this is awesome!" Flash cheered.

Rinkah and Keaton moved to the back, giving each other a look. The crowd was cheering them on with chants of 'Yes!' over and over again.

"On three?" Keaton asked.

"Sure. One...two, three!" Both swung their axes down on the car in unison.

"Again!" The wolfskin exclaimed. They did it again, and one more time. They turned their attention to one of the car doors, opening it up. Once again on three, the two of them managed to rip the door off its hinges, Rinkah slamming it down on the ground, then tossed it like a frisbee for a few feet with both hands.

Bowser's minions had seen enough, charging the two of them. Both Rinkah and Keaton fought off the minions without much trouble. Rinkah was panting with sweat dripping off her face, and Keaton was also breathing heavy, wiping sweat from his brow. Flash tossed him a stone, which he caught.

"Now things are even!" Flash exclaimed.

"Yeah." Keaton recognized the stone. He used the stone to transform into his Wolfskin form, letting out a roar and rushed towards Bowser. Bowser, not wanting to associate himself with this, started running the other direction. Once Keaton returned, he was back to his normal self, handing the stone back to Flash.

"My name...is not...Wolfie. It's Keaton!" He got out, with a loud roar of approval from the live audience.

"Wow!" Flash laughed. "Wow. That...that was an amazing ending to the challenge." He looked at Camilla. "I guess you're not really looking to finish the fight?"

"I'd love to let my darling Leo have immunity, Flash," Camilla declared. "I did what I needed to so he'd be safe today."

"Alright. Leo wins immunity," Flash said. "Now, let's get back to the fort before anything else crazy happens." He spoke into the mic. "Thank you all for coming!" One last loud round of cheers echoed before the group headed back to the fortress.

* * *

An uncertain final eleven began to strategize for the vote tonight, as it was anyone's guess who would be going out the door tonight.

"Thanks for the immunity win, sister," Leo thanked.

"Oh, think nothing of it, dear." Camilla patted Leo's head. "I did what I had to do to ensure you'd be safe from being targeted tonight. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a nice bath before the vote." With that, she went off to do just as she said.

"Hmm…" Leo put a hand to his chin.

" _Tonight's vote is important, because I think it's high time I touch base with Xander and Elise and see who they view as the bigger threat. If we can get the person who will be the best challenge competitor out tonight, our journey forward will be easier." -Leo_

Meanwhile with Takumi, Rinkah, and Keaton, the three of them were thinking what they should do.

"You guys can agree with me that Camilla is a big threat, right?" Takumi spoke. "I mean, why would she have given up immunity to Leo?"

"It's because she wanted to protect her brother," Keaton reasoned. "At least, I think that's why she let him have it."

"Yeah. Camilla left herself open to be eliminated tonight, so we've got to do what we can to get her out tonight." Takumi smirked.

" _Camilla, you've probably made the biggest blunder in this entire game - giving up immunity to someone else who is just as big of a threat as you. If we can get six votes, you can kiss your chances of winning goodbye! And I know just the three to do it." -Takumi_

"So what's the plan?" Rinkah asked.

"...I never thought I'd say this, but I need to make amends with Ryoma." Takumi sighed. "I screwed up last night by getting after them. Hopefully they can forgive me."

"You've had some time to cool down?" Keaton asked.

"I took plenty of time when I was crushing those Rabbids." Takumi nodded.

"Alright, so we've got our target tonight," Rinkah mused. "Whatever works for me." Takumi left to go speak with the other Hoshidans. He would find Ryoma in his room, along with Subaki and Sakura.

"A-Ah! Brother…" Sakura jumped a little seeing him.

"I'm not angry anymore, sister," Takumi responded. He looked to Ryoma. "I just...I wanted to say I'm sorry for snapping on you guys last night. I was under a lot of stress at the time and didn't know what to do."

"We had our reasons, Lord Takumi," Subaki apologized. "We should be the ones apologizing."

"What else do you want to tell us?" Ryoma asked.

"So...you're over it?" Takumi blinked in surprise.

"Of course we're over it," Ryoma answered. "It's merely a game we're playing. Now, as for what you wished to tell us."

"Right, well tonight I was thinking we could get rid of Camilla tonight," Takumi suggested.

"W-What? Why?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Because she willingly left herself as a target after giving Leo immunity. I think tonight would be the perfect time to eliminate her - she's a massive threat going forward. You've seen how well she and Leo work together." Takumi presented his case. "Ryoma can deal with Xander later on, Leo we can eliminate next, and Elise is such a non-threat that we shouldn't have any problems getting rid of her last."

"Hmm...I see. Subaki, Sakura? What do you two think?"

"I'm fine with that, Lord Ryoma," Subaki answered. Sakura fell quiet.

"Sakura? Is everything alright?" Ryoma asked out of concern.

"Um...if you could...e-excuse me…" Sakura went out in the hall, going off to her room.

"Sakura, wait!" Takumi exclaimed, starting after her. However, Ryoma grabbed his arm before he could get out of Ryoma's room.

"Subaki, go make sure she's okay," Ryoma ordered.

"Right away!" Subaki nodded, going after his liege.

"What was that about?" Takumi frowned.

"Everything's under control, brother. Have faith." Ryoma reassured.

" _I already know that Sakura is aligned with Camilla, so of course this is going to be hard for her. However, the three of us are not in any danger tonight, so that is why I sent Subaki after my sister. He should know what to say to her." -Ryoma_

"Lady Sakura." Subaki put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Please let me speak."

Sakura looked down. "Okay…" She responded.

"Listen, I know this is a tough time for us both, but could you do me a favor and wait outside my door? I'm going to go speak with Lady Elise and see where her head's at." Subaki explained.

"Sure...h-hurry back." Sakura went to go wait for Subaki as the retainer sought out Elise. He would find her with her brothers and Peri, as they were discussing the vote. He hid out of their sight and listened in on their conversation.

"So who are we voting out tonight?" Peri wondered. "I don't care who it is - if Lord Xander wills it, I'll vote for whoever!"

"I was thinking either Rinkah or Keaton - did you see them messing up that car Bowser had? That was a very strong thing for them to do." Elise argued.

"Truly," Leo agreed. "Although I personally want to stick it to Takumi. Targeting me and trying to call me out."

"Stay your hand, brother," Xander cautioned. "We have to be smart about this. If we vote recklessly, our game may be jeopardized."

"...Fine. I'll keep waiting for the night I'll get to send that pompous Hoshidan out the door." Leo folded his arms. "But if we're going for either of the two neutrals, I say we get rid of Rinkah. Keaton to me seems like he'll be easier to control."

"Really? But why not Keaton?" Elise wondered. "Not only does Rinkah seem like she doesn't do much strategy, but Keaton...hasn't bathed since we got here at all. He's starting to smell."

"That'd be your reason for voting?" Peri blinked, astonished.

" _Wow, reasons for voting people off are so out there! Elise wants to get rid of Keaton because he stinks, Lord Leo wants to get rid of Prince Takumi because he called him out, but I've already made up my mind - whoever Lord Xander wants out. We gotta stay together!" -Peri_

"Given how Rinkah tossed a car door without much effort, she has enough strength to be close enough to Effie," Xander reasoned. "So for that reason, I say we vote Rinkah out tonight, and save Takumi for a later date."

"Makes sense to me, keehee~!" Peri agreed.

"Works for me," Leo added.

"Sure!" Elise chimed. The group split off afterwards, Subaki pulling Elise aside out of the view of the others.

"Did I hear that right? You guys are voting for Rinkah?" Subaki whispered.

"Why do you need to know?" Elise asked.

"...I can't say right now, Lady Elise," Subaki apologized. "It's a rather personal thing for my liege."

"Oh...okay, I getcha. But yeah, we are voting for Rinkah tonight. If either you or Sakura votes with us tonight, then that'd be awesome." Elise proceeded. "I'm gonna tell Camilla of the plan." She left to go speak with Camilla, leaving Subaki to return to Sakura and update her.

" _Tonight is really scary, because I don't know what's going to happen at the vote. I don't know if I'm in danger, if Xander's in danger, or heck, if Peri's in danger. But then again...ah, I shouldn't be worried about Peri. She hasn't done anything really threatening to us." -Elise_

In Subaki's room, retainer and liege sat down next to each other on the bed. "I just spoke with Lady Elise - they want to eliminate Rinkah tonight due to her being such a physical threat." Subaki informed.

"I-I see…" Sakura took a deep breath in. "What...what do we do?"

"I leave this in your hands tonight, Lady Sakura," Subaki informed. "I would be the swing vote for you, but I'd rather you make the choice than I."

"W-Why's that?" Sakura asked.

"Because I don't want to accidentally eliminate the wrong person and make you upset," Subaki answered. "If Lord Takumi gets angry again, I'll take the fall for you."

"T-Thank you...but there's...there's no need to do that…" Sakura stammered.

"The heart is an arrow, Lady Sakura," Subaki continued. "It demands for its aim to land true."

"So...you want me to v-vote with my heart?" Sakura asked.

"Exactly. I trust Lady Camilla won't be cross with me that I've decided to leave the vote up to you," Subaki answered. "I just want you to be happy."

"O-Okay...I'll just...go back to my room now…" Sakura got up and went to do that, closing the door behind her. She flopped down on her bed, burying her face in her hands.

" _*deep sigh* I-It's all up to me tonight...I'm holding the power...e-either I can eliminate C-Camilla, or R-Rinkah...and I-I'm voting with what...my heart wants...oh, this is so tough...I don't know what to do." -Sakura_

After consulting her heart in silence, Sakura seemed to have made a decision, getting up off her bed and exiting her room.

* * *

Once the sun had set, the eleven remaining players convened in the basement, Flash waiting there on the screen.

"Welcome back everyone. Well, today was pretty crazy. Camilla, let's start with you. What was your reasoning for letting Leo have immunity?" Flash asked.

"Because after Takumi threatened him and called my baby brother out, I knew I had to keep him safe. It felt obvious to me he'd keep trying to target Leo over and over again until he succeeded." Camilla answered.

"Were you surprised at all that Camilla would do that Leo?" Flash inquired.

"No, not at all." Leo shook his head. "If you've known Camilla for as long as Xander, Elise, and myself have known her for, she'd risk life and limb for all of us."

"So Takumi, let's go back to the previous night. You were really heated after Hinoka was eliminated," Flash said. "Why was that?"

"Because I had my own siblings and fellow Hoshidans vote against me," Takumi answered.

"And that was Ryoma, Sakura, and Subaki right?" Flash asked for confirmation, to which Takumi nodded.

"After taking some time to crush those Rabbids at today's challenge, I cleared my head and apologized to them for my rash behavior." Takumi concluded.

"So Xander, when you take a look at the Hoshidan royal family in this game, it's clear they lack some sort of organization. Half of them went to target your brother, and the other half were like 'Our sister's behavior is unacceptable, let's vote her out.' What are your thoughts on that?" Flash asked.

"I think it means to me that the Hoshidans are unaccustomed to this kind of competition," Xander answered bluntly. "While they have the spirit, I feel as if they lack the strategic planning they'd need for this kind of game."

"Ryoma, do you agree with Xander or not?" Flash inquired.

"I do and I don't. Yes, being the peaceful kingdom we are we haven't had the need to plan for these kind of things or any sort of thing, but we did take the time to regroup today." Ryoma responded.

"Do you think that this organization will help you in tonight's vote, or will something totally out of the blue will happen?" Flash wondered.

"Flash, I cannot say for certain what will happen with tonight's vote," Ryoma added. "Because after the first merge vote, it is very clear that this game is not going to be another Hoshido vs. Nohr kind of conflict."

"Rinkah, what do you think about all this? Do you think it's strategy or emotions that's driving everyone?" Flash asked.

"A little bit of a both I guess," Rinkah shrugged. "Like, we all want to win and everything, but some of us here are more accustomed to the kind of backstabbing we've been seeing so far."

"Keaton, would you say that's a fair assessment of this group?" Flash was curious to see what he thought.

"Yeah, it would be safe to assume that everyone's letting their competitive sides show. I'm just here to have a good time, and so far it's been really fun." Keaton answered.

"Peri, do you think there will be a blindside tonight? Or will the vote go as you think it will?" Flash inquired.

'Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm almost a hundred percent positive the vote will go the way Lord Xander and I hope it will." Peri giggled.

"Alright, it is, time to vote. Subaki. You're up." With that, Subaki got up and went to vote.

Outside the fortress on the outdoor stage, a large crowd had gathered as Azura watched the developments unfold from the monitor screen on stage.

"A wave of calm and anticipation has come over the final eleven players in the game. Who will be leaving tonight? Hello everyone, and welcome back for another Elimination Ceremony." The monitor showed Subaki in the voting booth. "Subaki is leaving the vote in the hands of his liege. How is he voting tonight?"

"Hello Subaki! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

"I do hope she's okay with what I'm doing, but I vote to eliminate Camilla." Subaki voted.

"Alright, you can go back now." Subaki got up and passed Camilla in the hallway.

"Camilla is the target Takumi wants to eliminate tonight. Let's see how she votes." Azura said.

"Hello Camilla! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"My vote is to eliminate Rinkah. Sorry darling." Camilla voted.

"Thanks, you can go back." Camilla left the booth, passing Leo in the hall.

"Leo is seemingly under pressure tonight, having been 'called out' by Takumi. His vote should be obvious." Azura commented.

"Hello Leo! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate Rinkah." Leo voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now." Leo left the booth, passing Rinkah in the hall.

"Rinkah is voting with Takumi tonight in an attempt to destabilize the Nohrians. Her vote should be obvious." Azura mused.

"Hello Rinkah! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"I'm voting to eliminate Camilla. Simple as that." Rinkah voted.

"Thanks, you can go back now." Rinkah left the booth, passing Takumi in the hall.

"Takumi is hopeful that Camilla will be eliminated tonight. Will his fortune change?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Takumi! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

"If Leo wasn't immune I'd be voting for him. But since he is, I'm voting to eliminate Camilla." Takumi voted. "This better work!"

"Alright, you can go back now." Takumi left the booth, passing Keaton in the hall.

"Keaton is having a good time, and aligned with Rinkah, his vote should be obvious." Azura said.

"Hello Keaton! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Camilla." Keaton voted.

"Alright, you can go back now." Keaton left the booth, passing Xander in the hall.

"Xander is leading the strategy to eliminate Xander. Will his plan triumph?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Xander! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

"In order to keep our game alive, I vote to eliminate Rinkah." Xander voted.

"Thanks, you can go on back." Xander left the booth, passing Peri in the hall.

"Peri is voting with her liege tonight, so we really don't have to be curious who she is voting for." Azura thought aloud.

"Hello Peri! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"If Lord Xander wants it, Lord Xander will have it. I vote to eliminate Rinkah!" Peri voted.

"Alright, you can head on back." Peri left the booth, passing Elise in the hall.

"Elise was labelled a 'non-threat' by Takumi. Will she be able to prove him wrong tonight?" Azura mused.

"Hello Elise! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

"We can get rid of smelly Keaton later, I vote to eliminate Rinkah." Elise voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Elise left the booth, passing by Ryoma in the hall.

"With Ryoma in the loop, he has a difficult choice ahead of him. How will he vote tonight?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Ryoma! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Camilla. I hope that Sakura can understand." Ryoma voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Ryoma left the booth, passing Sakura in the hall.

"With five votes each, it all comes down to Sakura's vote. Who will her heart side with tonight? Let's find out." Azura spoke.

"Hello Sakura! Please cast your vote to eliminate!" Flash requested.

Sakura was quiet at first. "I...I can't do this...I can't b-betray her…" She looked at the camera, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I-I vote to e-eliminate...Rinkah…" A chorus of ohs came from the audience outside.

"Thanks, you can head back now." Sakura left the booth to go join the others awaiting Flash for the results.

"With Sakura's vote, Rinkah's fate has been sealed. Now we await Flash to reveal the results." Azura said.

"Alright everyone, the votes are in!" Flash began. "Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe. Those people are...Sakura, Subaki, Ryoma, Takumi, Xander, Leo, Elise, Peri, and Keaton."

Leo wondered if Camilla giving him immunity was a bad call, and Takumi had a smile on his face.

"Rinkah, Camilla? By a vote...of 6 to 5...Camilla, you...are safe." Flash revealed as Takumi's smile quickly vanished. "It's official Rinkah, you have been eliminated from Fates Party."

"Ah, what a bummer…" Rinkah shook her head, grabbing her things. "Well guys, best of luck." She had a smile as she walked up the stairs to go out on stage to a chorus of cheers as she sat down across from Azura.

"Well, it's good to see you again Rinkah," Azura smiled. "You went out with a bang judging from earlier today."

"Yeah, I sure did." Rinkah chuckled. "Man, that felt good."

"What was going through your mind as you and Keaton were destroying the car Bowser had?" Azura inquired.

"Joy, primarily," Rinkah answered. "After everything he's done to try and sully our fun, it felt great to get some payback."

"Are you at all surprised all that might have led to you being voted out?" Azura wondered.

"It might have, but it was worth it." Rinkah shrugged. "It's just one of those things. When you put yourself out there like that it's hard not to have a target on your back."

"You mentioned the Flame Tribe earlier after you took a fire attack from Bowser quite well," Azura noted. "Why did you mention it?"

"Because well...the Flame Tribe is an isolationist group. We don't trust outsiders. As such, I haven't got the chance to experience a lot of things, and I've been hesitant to broaden my horizons because of this. When I signed on for this game I was looking to do the tribe proud, but it was also to see what else there was outside. After my time here in this game, I hope that one day we can break down the walls and really get to experience what the outside world is like. After my time with the Hoshidans and Nohrians, there's a lot for me to learn, and I can't wait to dig in." Rinkah explained.

"I hope you'll find success in that, Rinkah," Azura said. "And thank you for your time."

"Pleasure's mine." Rinkah smirked. With another raucous round of applause and cheers, Rinkah departed from the stage and went down the torchlit path.

Once she arrived at Loser Lodge, Azama was there to greet her at his usual spot.

"Hello Rinkah. Your fire finally died out, huh?" He chuckled.

"Yeah well, that's life." Rinkah set her things down at the door and went to get settled in.

* * *

Meanwhile, back behind the false wall in the fortress, a girl was sitting in a swivel chair, facing away from the camera.

"Heeheehee…" She giggled. "Yes, it was me. It was I who took on the role of the Hint Giver, and for one reason." She smiled, sounding happy. "I was bored."

She wrote some things down in a notebook as she spoke. "Still...I can't believe I got found out so quickly. But then again, this _is_ Niles, the notorious ex-thief we're speaking about." The Hint Giver paused. "I wonder if Flash remembers me. He was so close to finding me out, but he didn't do anything about it. Does he know?" The girl was lost in thought with these questions.

(And there we have it. Turns out the Hint Giver knows me!

Rinkah. I am a fan of Rinkah, I do love her design, but the problem with Rinkah is that character wise she doesn't have a whole lot to go off of. It can get a bit bland at times, so I decided to have her do one last awesome thing before she was voted out in a blaze of glory.

As for the Hint Giver, whose identity I am still hiding until the time is right, I decided to do a little more behind the scenes work with her, and it seems that she knows me. But how? I won't say. You'll have to wait till later!

Next time we'll jam out to **small tunes** and see how things develop from here! See you all then!)


	11. Episode 10: Sound of Madness

(Double digits on this story episode wise, woohoo! Now we're moving into the good stuff, let's see the action unfold now!...well, not right away.

Also, before we begin, I'd like to apologize for all the long breaks in between episodes. Most recently, it's been school life, political crap, and other pop culture BS that was going on in life caused me to get burned out. It happens. When I do get burned out, all I ask is that people give me time to breathe and focus on the important things. Distractions don't help, but to be honest some of the time I do that to myself.

But just know, that as Elton John says, I'm still standing. And I have something special planned out as a second season to this so to speak.

What does this mean? I have the boot order, the Superstar, jokes, and everything else all planned out and ready to go. So please be patient with me, but I promise I'll get this done.

One last thing: Apologies if this feels a bit rushed. Had things going on and writing with nasal congestion and feeling like I have a head cold is not the best time to write.)

 **Episode 10: Sound of Madness**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _Takumi was livid after Hinoka was blindsided, calling out Leo for being a threat in the process. Sakura and Ryoma formed a little power duo discovering that Elise was the common link in their alliances, and Flash looked into the rumors regarding a female shadow found sneaking around the base._

 _The challenge was supposed to be gathering up machine parts for a battle royale in Future Dream, but the Rabbids appeared and bit Ryoma, involving beating them up as part of the challenge when it was revealed the Rabbids stole the machine parts._

 _In addition, there was an egg in an incubator left behind by the Hint Giver, which contained the hidden immunity idol - which Elise and Sakura found with help from Bowser Junior._

 _Bowser attempted to ruin the challenge once again, this time showing up in his own battle machine. Camilla and Leo were able to stall for time until Flash came back with a forklift to stop his plans. Keaton and Rinkah sent him scurrying when they destroyed his car. Leo won immunity after Camilla gave it to him as a means to protect him from elimination._

 _Before the vote, Takumi lobbied with the remaining Hoshidans, Rinkah, and Keaton to eliminate Camilla, feeling she needed to be punished for leaving a huge target on her back. The Nohrians planned to eliminate Rinkah, due to her physical strength being a threat. It all fell to Sakura on whose side to pick, as Subaki placed her in the swing position, promising to take the fall for her in an attempt to make her happy._

 _And at the vote, Sakura's heart sided with the Nohrians, sending Rinkah out the door in a 6-5 decision. 10 are left. Who will be voted out tonight?_

 **Final 10: Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Leo, Takumi, Keaton, Xander, Peri, Elise, Ryoma**

* * *

Sakura separated herself from the others, going to her room. She went to shut the door, but a black boot stopped the door from closing. Camilla's black boot.

"O-Oh!" Sakura jumped. "C-Camilla…"

"There's no need to be afraid of me, darling," Camilla cooed. "I didn't come here to spook you." She walked on in, closing the door behind her. "I just wished to speak with you."

"O-Okay...just give me a moment…" Sakura responded.

" _Tonight was really exciting! I was almost eliminated, but I knew that Sakura wouldn't kick me out. So, to make sure that doesn't happen, I felt that the two of us needed to talk one on one. That and I want to get to know the sweetheart a little better." -Camilla_

The two girls sat down on Sakura's bed, Sakura opting to sit in the elder Nohrian princess' lap.

"Sakura dear, we don't all act according to calculations and cost-benefit diagrams. That's what makes us complicated," Camilla explained.

"I-I know, but…" Sakura looked down. Camilla wrapped an arm around Sakura, bringing her in for a gentle hug; it was something that Sakura appreciated.

"That's why Hinoka was voted out, and that's why Takumi didn't get his way tonight. When you dismiss other people's feelings, it'll always come back to bite you in the end," Camilla continued. "Any mature woman such as myself should understand that."

"Um...y-yeah, but that's n-not why I voted for Rinkah…" Sakura trailed off.

"Oh? Then why did you vote with me?" Camilla wondered. Sakura fell quiet, not sure how to tell Camilla how she was feeling.

"Come on," Camilla encouraged. "Just talk to me like I'm one of your siblings. It's no big deal."

"True, but...you're s-so different from them…" Sakura responded, making eye contact with Camilla. "The...the truth is...I'd like to get to know you Camilla, b-but...you're so intimidating. T-That's why...I voted the way I did…"

" _C-Camilla is...is so nice to me...I should feel safe around her. Safe to t-tell her anything...be able to feel p-protected around her...but she's so scary sometimes…" -Sakura_

"I do seem to have that impression on people, don't I?" Camilla put a finger to her chin. "I'd like to know you too. I think it's rather sweet that you decided not to vote me out because of that."

"Y-You really mean it?" Sakura asked.

"Of course I do." Camilla smiled. "There's really no reason for you to be afraid of me, Sakura. In fact, I see a little bit of Elise in you." Sakura fell quiet again, but was amazed at the comparison to her best friend. "Think about it. You're both sweethearts, and I don't see how either of you could do wrong. For both Hoshido and Nohr, you're like the lights that we all fight to protect, and both of you want to help your older siblings in any way you can out of the goodness of your hearts."

"Yeah...yeah, we do." Sakura felt happy as Camilla started rocking her gently back and forth. She didn't look nervous, moreso looking at ease.

"And as you already know, I love the both of you with all my heart," Camilla added. "Look, you're not so scared of me right now, are you?"

"Not at all," Sakura responded with a bit of confidence in her voice. Camilla let out a yawn.

"Good," She said. "Well, big girls like me need their beauty sleep and it's getting pretty late. I can tuck you in and kiss you goodnight if you want."

"S-Sure," Sakura meekly accepted the offer. "B-But there's no need to kiss me goodnight…" Camilla softly chuckled, singing Sakura a Nohrian lullaby and watched as the younger Hoshidan princess' eyes drifted shut, softly sleeping. "Ah-phew...ah-phew…" With that, Camilla fluffed the bed's pillow and tucked Sakura in.

"She's so precious…" Camilla smiled, leaving her room to go get some sleep herself.

" _There are two reasons why I want to be on good terms with Sakura. Firstly she is vital to my endgame plan to win, but the most important thing is that she is, as I said, extremely precious. How could anyone find it in them to vote her out? I'm making it my mission to make sure my darling girls are with me come finale night. And you can quote me on that." -Camilla_

Meanwhile, Takumi let out a sigh as he was meeting with Keaton. "Well that sucked," Keaton said.

"I wanna know who flipped." Takumi grit his teeth. "We had the majority...so what the hell happened?"

"All I know is we're on the bottom." Keaton shook his head.

" _Only took one vote to completely screw me over, and yeah. I'm curious to find out who the flipper was. If I can find cracks in the majority alliance, then hopefully I can claw my way to the top of the pack." -Keaton_

Subaki approached the two. "Lord Takumi, my deepest apologies…"

"Don't tell me you flipped on us," Takumi growled. The retainer nodded.

"I believed that if I voted out Lady Camilla, it would make Lady Sakura upset," Subaki lied. "That's why I had to do what I did. My liege always comes first, for being a retainer has me follow the 'duty before self' principle - Lady Sakura comes before me, and her happiness and well-being are my top priorities. Again, my deepest apologies for flipping, but in this game I have to do everything I can to make sure Lady Sakura succeeds." With that he walked off, leaving Takumi and Keaton be. Both guys looked at each other.

"...He seemed pretty honest." Keaton scratched the back of his head.

"Sakura comes before him my foot!" Takumi hit a wall. "Ugh...I swear, this is the worst. He's has to be lying!"

"We'll find a way back in power, Takumi," Keaton reassured. "Just gotta hope that something crazy happens."

" _I'm staying optimistic here. I don't really care about what position I'm in, because it doesn't matter what hand you're dealt in life. You just need to play it to the best of your ability. Like, I know I'm at the bottom, but with this hand, I'm pretty confident I can get myself out of that spot." -Keaton_

Elsewhere in the fort once everyone had gone to bed, Kaze and Silas were meeting with each other just beside the hollow wall Flash discovered the night before.

"Does he know about her?" Kaze asked.

"Not to my knowledge, no," Silas responded. "But as long as we know she's doing okay, he'll be fine with this."

"It's not everyday you find someone deciding to involve themselves in affairs foreign to them," Kaze commented. "But it's nice to know we have fans."

"Yeah, it's a nice thing to know." Silas smiled. "Though I wonder how Flash will react upon seeing an old friend of his…"

"I'm sure Flash won't mind," Kaze commented. "She hasn't done anything to harm anyone, so why should he be mad?"

"You do have a point," Silas agreed. "We'll tell him when she's ready."

* * *

The next day, the final ten met outside the fort as usual, Flash waiting for them.

"Well, yesterday was fun. Today is going to be just as fun," He told the group. "Follow me!" The Dragon's Gate was fired up, and Flash ran through. Everyone followed after him.

The group wouldn't find themselves in a large area, but instead outside a home in Toad Town.

"What're we doing here?" Ryoma asked.

"Lemme just see if she's home today…" Flash knocked on the door until it opened, with Toadette answering the door.

"Ah! I heard you were coming today for your show," Toadette greeted.

"Yes indeed," Flash responded with a grin. "Everyone, this is Toadette. She'll be helping us during today's-" Suddenly a roar was heard. "...Challenge." As expected, it was Bowser. Various Toads who were out and about started screaming and running around in circles.

"IT'S BOWSER!" One Toad yelled.

"SCREAM AND RUN IN CIRCLES!" Another screamed.

"What is it this time?" Leo asked Bowser.

"I've finally figured it out!" Bowser exclaimed. "I've finally figured out how to beat you!"

"Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?" Ryoma pressed. It was then Kamek, who Flash assumed was dead, flew down with a cackle.

"By this!" Kamek waved his wand and charged up a burst of magic, then threw it right at the ground. A purple mist was created from the impact, and out from the mist came ten figures. Upon closer inspection, the players would find they were carbon copies of themselves...save for a few changes. The big thing was that they looked like them, but were mainly formed from the purple miasma that Kamek created.

"Go on! See how you fail against yourselves!" Bowser laughed.

"...They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but I don't see it," Xander deadpanned.

"What do you mean!?" Bowser roared.

"You seriously just made knock-offs of us because you can't win yourself? That's stupid," Takumi scoffed. "It's just like ripping off someone's hard work and changing it a little."

"You brat!" Kamek shot back. Sakura hid behind Camilla, who wasn't amused by this.

"How cute. You're too scared to face us all by yourselves, even when we're unarmed," Camilla folded her arms. "Even with your sorcery, we're still going to beat you."

"Get them!" Bowser ordered Kamek and the clones. A large scale brawl broke out in the square, Toadette hiding inside her house and Flash dealing with Kamek himself. The Toads in hiding peeked their heads out to see how the fight was going, with the real deal Hoshidans and Nohrians winning by a large margin.

"You can't beat the originals!" Elise stuck her tongue out at Bowser once the fighting was finished. Bowser grit his teeth, but then had a wicked grin.

"I'm not done with you yet," He said. "I've got a special weapon!" He held a magic wand of his own. "The Minimizer!" With a wave of it, he shrunk all of the players and Flash down to smaller sizes in a similar way a Mini Mushroom would shrink someone.

"What the- What did you do to us!?" Keaton exclaimed.

"Aw, now I can't jam out to Avenged Sevenfold…" Flash lamented, remembering that he left his phone and earbuds elsewhere.

"That's not important right now!" Subaki flailed.

"Gahahahaha! Say goodbye, pipsqueaks!" Bowser raised up his foot to stomp on them all, sending a wave of panic through them all. Elise and Sakura clung to Camilla and Subaki respectively, both willing to use themselves as shields for the young princesses, even if it seemed to be a fruitless endeavor.

"Damn...is this the end?" Flash grit his teeth. He didn't show it, but he was afraid of dying here today. There wouldn't be anything left of him to give a proper viking funeral for!

However, that fear would be short lived, as a voice stopped Bowser dead in his tracks.

"That's enough!" Flash recognized the voice.

"Wait a minute...oh Gods, is that who I think it is…?" He and the others turned to the direction of the voice.

They would see a young lady with long black hair that reached to her shoulder blades, wearing a purple dress with Peach's brooch. She also had purple gloves and a crown in the colors of the Unversed, purple high heels and had on eyeshadow and lipstick that was the same color. For any of the Nohrians, with all that royal purple she could've been mistaken for one of them. But this young lady was no such Nohrian.

"Kai!" Flash exclaimed, a smile on his face. "Praise Arceus that you came!"

"Who?" Keaton blinked in confusion. "You know this person?"

"Of course I do," Flash responded. "I remember Kai from my time with this Heores of Light group. Didn't do much back then, but I was just as important as her."

"Ah, I do believe I remember her too," Xander commented. "If I recall correctly, Kai was next in line for the throne of the Mushroom Kingdom, but didn't believe she was ready. From the looks of things, I say she's grown into a fine queen."

"This isn't your business!" Bowser roared at Kai.

"Oh, but it is," Kai objected. "You come into my kingdom, start a fight here, and are scaring my people?" She summoned a weapon in her hand, a Keyblade customized in a fashion that would scream 'This is based off Minish Cap!' "I am not going to stand idly by and let you keep doing this."

Toadette whispered to the small group. "Everyone, get in here now! Kai will handle this."

"Right. We can't afford to get caught up in their fight," Ryoma agreed. "We'll run the risk of getting squished if we do!" With that, the eleven small individuals rushed inside Toadette's house.

"Kai...I so owe you big time for this…" Flash breathed a sigh of relief once they were inside.

"This isn't the first time Bowser used that wand," Toadette said. "Though I wonder how he managed to fix it."

"Anyway, Kai should be able to handle Bowser," Flash added. "If you could follow us…" The group followed Flash and Toadette to another room in her house, which was, to the small players, a large room filled with various normal sized musical instruments - a piano, violin, drums, and even a horn of some sort.

"Welcome to my music room, everyone," Toadette announced. "We were supposed to do this normal sized, but since we're all tiny...we'll just have to make do."

"All these instruments inlies today's challenge. You're going to be split up into pairs again, and will navigate around the room to each of the instruments. Toadette will judge your performance on each one, and if you pass, you will earn a stamp. The first team to earn all four stamps wins." Flash explained. "Easy enough?"

"Yeah, but...we're all teeny!" Peri pointed out. "How're we supposed to play these now?"

"Figure it out," Flash responded. "You're all resourceful individuals. I have faith you'll be able to do this."

And so the pairs were determined - Camilla and Elise, Ryoma and Peri, Takumi and Leo, Xander and Sakura, and Subaki and Keaton.

"Okay! Toadette, you host till I get back. I'm gonna try and find a way to signal for Silas or Kaze to come help." Flash instructed, rushing off to do that. The five pairs split off searching for the instruments.

* * *

With Camilla and Elise, the two were taking their time to get to the instruments.

" _I love music, so I feel like I'm in my natural element today. Winning shouldn't be hard, but I need to keep my strength up...Camilla can help me out with that, so being paired up with her was the best case scenario!" -Elise_

"So...Camilla," Elise started.

"Yes dear?" Camilla was curious as to what was on Elise's mind.

"I was just wondering something...what would happen if there was Christmas every day?" Elise asked, her eyes looking up to Camilla for some sort of answer.

"Hmm...that sounds like a silly idea," Camilla answered honestly.

"Huh? Why?" Elise stepped closer.

"Because Elise, when you think about it, if we had Christmas every day we'd all be lucky to get a single present," Camilla elaborated. "I don't know who would want that when you know that, but odds are they haven't thought that far ahead."

"Yeah, that makes sense…" Elise mused. "But I don't need any sort of presents like that. You, Leo, and Xander are all the presents I need on Christmas Day!"

Camilla smiled, bringing Elise in for a big hug. "D'aww...you're too sweet!" She happily exclaimed. Elise giggled.

"I know what I am, Sis," She responded. "There's something else I need from you."

"Well, if it's needing to keep up your strength for playing the instruments so we can win today, say no more," Camilla cheerfully stated.

"Woah...it's like you read my mind!" Elise was surprised.

"We've been together for...how long now? I know you better than you know yourself," Camilla smiled. "C'mon." So with that, Camilla got Elise on her back to piggyback her around the room to the instruments.

" _Being shot with eggs, wrestling with a giant lizard, and carrying around my darling siblings on my back - in this case literally - are all things I'm willing to do for them. This isn't for a game purpose, but because it's just what I do." -Camilla_

* * *

With Ryoma and Peri, Peri was hurrying ahead, wanting to get stamps for playing well.

" _I gotta keep winning things for Lord Xander. If Prince Ryoma and I win today's challenge, then Lord Xander will be safe! Then he'll tell me how good I am to him!...I wonder how Laslow would do in my position." -Peri_

"Peri, you ought to pace yourself," Ryoma advised.

"Huh? Why should I do that?" Peri stopped in her tracks.

"You'll tire yourself out before we get all the stamps," Ryoma explained. "I'm positive that the others know this, so we shouldn't have to rush."

"Oh...yeah, you're right!" Peri giggled.

" _Peri is...certainly a ball of energy. She's proven her strength in challenges before, and I would say she's a rather valuable ally to keep around. However, I'm worried that she might snap if Xander is voted out before her...hopefully, Xander's siblings will be able to stop her if that happens." -Ryoma_

* * *

Takumi and Leo did not talk to each other at all as they walked. They instead were planning out their next moves against each other.

" _Throwing the challenge is a legitimate tactic I can try to get rid of Leo. I've hated how he acts like he's not a threat, but he's the biggest one out of the Nohrian royal family. There's no way someone like Elise could be bigger. Seriously! She doesn't act her age, how could she be a big player?" -Takumi_

" _Every single time I listen to Takumi talk about wanting to get rid of me, the more I want to hit him. Of course, I can't do that so the best thing I can do is focus on myself. Getting rid of him will be one less distraction to deal with later down the road." -Leo_

Because they did not talk to each other, they were able to reach the drums before anyone else. Toadette was quick to get to them.

"Hey guys," She greeted. "Are you ready to play?"

"You could say that," Leo responded. Before Toadette could say anything else, a loud, punk metal noise began making its presence known from another room in her house, causing everyone in the room to cover their ears.

"GAAAAAHHH! WHAT IS THAT RACKET!?" Takumi screamed.

"I thought I told Ibuki to keep it down!" Toadette responded.

"WHAT!?" Takumi shouted back, having not heard the girl.

"Whatever it is, it's distracting!" Leo cried out. "Go get that to stop!"

"What!?" Toadette didn't hear Leo, but went off to go get whatever that racket was to stop. After a couple seconds, it died down. Toadette then returned.

"Phew...I'm definitely going to get some noise complaints for that…" Toadette breathed a sigh of relief.

"Gods, that hurt my ears…" Takumi complained.

"Give us a minute, Toadette," Leo then said. "We clearly need a moment to recover after...whatever that was."

* * *

With Xander and Sakura, the younger Hoshidan princess lingered behind Xander, spooked by the loud music that sounded moments ago.

"It's stopped now Sakura," Xander reassured. "We're fine now."

"Y-Yeah, but…" Sakura trailed off.

" _I'm kinda...nervous to be with X-Xander...he's really smart...I can't g-give away my secret alliance...because...if I do I-I c-could be pegged as a threat…" -Sakura_

"But what?" Xander was curious to hear what the matter was.

"I'm scared that...um…" Sakura didn't know how to answer. "I-I'm sorry...this is awkward…"

"It doesn't have to be. I swear it," Xander urged. "If you have something to say, please- just say it."

"...M-Maybe later…" Sakura turned away.

" _Sakura is difficult to communicate to. I can understand the anxiety in our current situation, along with the cameras being focused on her, but...communication is key. Without it, there could be information missed out on that could lead to complications leading to one of us getting ousted." -Xander_

* * *

With Subaki and Keaton however, communication wasn't much of a problem. Both guys were rather casual in their tones.

"So last night before we all went out to sleep, I took Lady Camilla out to this graveyard and asked her if I thought it was cool," Keaton said. "Although...she didn't seem to like it."

"You thought given her...ruthless presence in battle, she would've?" Subaki wondered.

"Yeah. Just goes to show you don't really know someone from watching them," Keaton responded.

"It's alright," Subaki said. "Anyone could've made the same assumption."

" _Lady Camilla, from what I know of her, has two sides of her character. On one side, she is this absolute kind-hearted soul who always has a seat open for everyone in the kitchen. On the other side however, is essentially how a mother bear would protect her cubs in human form. I'll have to make sure I don't awaken that side of her." -Subaki_

"So um...how's Lady Sakura?" Keaton then asked.

"Oh, she's still the same sweetheart that Hana and I know her as," Subaki responded. "This game however has been rather hard on her. I've helped her as much as I could through it all."

"Wow. You must really take your job seriously," Keaton was amazed. "I mean...not to insult her or anything, but you think she would've been gone by now."

"That doesn't bother me," Subaki smiled. "You think it's amazing that we've made it this far in the game, and I thank you for the compliment."

"Hey, don't mention it." Keaton shrugged it off. "Not really fishing for praise here."

"...Speaking of fishing, how do the wolfskin fish?" Subaki then asked. "Assuming you do go fishing, of course."

* * *

Back with Camilla and Elise, the pair managed to reach the piano, being the first ones there. Toadette would be over there soon enough.

"Hey ladies," Toadette greeted. "Are you ready to begin?"

"You know it!" Elise chirped. Camilla noticed a name on the piano.

"K. Akamatsu…can't say I've heard of that name." She commented.

"I managed to get this piano from someone who was known as The Piano Freak...I think. I don't remember. It's been some time since I got it." Toadette explained. "All I know is I didn't get it from her."

"Ah, I'm ready to get playing!" Elise folded her arms, getting a bit impatient.

"Ready when you are," Toadette instructed. Elise began scampering up and down the piano, playing the notes that were shown to her. Soon enough, she was finished. She went back over to Camilla, who picked her up in her arms. Since Elise's performance was good enough, they got a stamp.

"Yay!" Elise cheered.

" _We got our first stamp, and since I nailed every note, this strategy Camilla and I have is clearly working! If we can keep this up, we've got victory in the bag! Of course, we're all still teeny..." -Elise_

* * *

Returning to Peri and Ryoma, the two managed to reach the horn. Toadette was nearby, so she quickly came over to judge their performance.

"So...what's the plan?" Peri asked.

"You handle the buttons. I'll handle the harder portion of playing this," Ryoma instructed. And so they did. With Ryoma providing the air, Peri hit the buttons when prompted, earning the duo a stamp.

"Yay!" Peri cheered.

"Good...now...lemme catch my breath…" Ryoma panted.

" _Being small and having to play on these instruments? It's far more physically taxing than you'd think. I'm not sure if I'll be able to win this, but as long as I have Peri with me, there's a chance we'll be able to win." -Ryoma_

Takumi and Leo were able to get their stamp from the drums, and were moving on to the next thing. Once again, both guys refused to talk to each other. However, Leo decided to speak.

"Remind me why I'm the threat?" He asked.

"Because you're the smart one in your family," Takumi reminded. "Ergo, you're the biggest threat."

"I don't see how intelligence makes me the biggest threat out of everyone to win," Leo countered. "As you can clearly see, some of the challenges have been physically demanding, so smarts alone aren't going to win the title of Superstar."

"Strength alone won't get you to the end, either," Takumi shot back.

"Correct, and I am well aware of this," Leo agreed. "But what exactly _is_ strength to you, Takumi? Physical power? Magical might? Brainpower? Willpower? The definition of strength varies from person to person, as everyone is strong in their own way." Takumi paused. What Leo just said struck a chord with him.

" _...He's right. I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's right. All this time, I felt inferior to Ryoma and Corrin because...they had it made! But after hearing Leo, it just hit me. Because right now, I have something that Ryoma doesn't - despite the fact we're at the bottom, I'm not giving up!" -Takumi_

* * *

Back with Sakura and Xander, the two reached the violin.

"I have a plan in mind for this, Sakura," Xander said. "You go on one side, I'll go on the other. I'll follow your movements."

"O-Okay...if you say so…" Sakura responded.

" _Xander is...he's really intelligent, j-just like Leo...but, he's n-not a bad guy...he just, um...can tell things from looking at people. He scares me b-because of that…" -Sakura_

Thanks to Xander's plan, he and Sakura were able to easily get the stamp for the violin.

"So what were you trying to say earlier?" Xander inquired.

"I was just p-practicing," Sakura answered.

"Practicing what?" Xander was confused.

"I'm training myself not to be s-so shy. I always get nervous around people. I thought if I could work up the nerve to talk to someone like you…" Sakura confided.

"Someone...like me?" Xander was growing increasingly baffled.

"Well, y-you're the most intimidating person in Nohr!" Sakura exclaimed. After a moment of silence from Xander, Sakura added, "Ack! I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean to blurt it out like that! I'm sure you're actually v-very nice. It's just... you're pretty scary! It's not my fault y-you'd be able to know I work with Elise!" Sakura immediately covered her mouth in shock after realising her mistake.

"...Oh. I see." Xander wasn't stirred by the revelation.

" _It's not surprising to hear that Sakura is working with my sister at all. Given how close they were during the incident it's only a matter of knowing Sakura; of course she would align with Elise. I for one do not see the harm in it." -Xander_

Sakura then went off to go find the next instrument, Xander following after her.

* * *

The teeny players scampered around the music room all working together to get the stamps they needed. Flash on the other hand, was on a mission elsewhere in the house. Tiny he may be, he wasn't going to let that stop him from being able to listen to his music.

As a matter of fact, he remembered now: He remembered that he left his phone at Toadette's house when setting up the challenge, and he was in the mood to listen to his music.

"Now where did I leave it…" He thought aloud. Looking around in the kitchen, he spotted his phone on top of the microwave. Flash then remembered he was tiny. "Well...eh, I'm lazy, I won't use my magic."

He started by trying to climb up the walls, looking for anything he could use as handholds. "Come on, Flashy...it's possible to climb walls in I Am Bread, why can't you do it?" He asked himself, before pausing. "Wait a minute...you're not bread. And that game sucks!" Eventually he decided to try and climb up the lower cabinets to reach the countertop. He found this much easier, but it was no easy task.

Wiping sweat off his brow once he made it up to the top, he saw his earbuds were also next to his phone. "What else did I leave in Toadette's house?" Flash wondered. It was a chore to get his earbuds plugged in and dragged over to begin listening to music.

However, he remembered how tiny he was, as the first song alone was loud enough from the earbuds playing at the standard volume, generated enough force to knock him off the countertop and down on the floor.

* * *

By the time Flash got back to the music room, he was covered in dust and dirt, along with his glasses being all smudged.

"What happened to you?" Peri asked.

"Don't even bother asking…" Flash saw that everyone was waiting for him, so he looked up to Toadette. "I take it the challenge has its winner?"

"Yup. Camilla and Elise were the first to get all four stamps!" Toadette reported.

"So...does that mean we win immunity?" Elise wondered excitedly. "Does that mean we can go back to normal now?"

"Don't count on it!" A voice bellowed. It was Bowser! And with him was a Hammer Bro. "You haven't won anything yet, pipsqueaks!" He then chuckled lowly. "I'll tell you what - if you can beat my minion, I'll turn you back." Unknown to all of them, he had two fingers crossed behind his back.

"What happened to Kai?" Ryoma demanded.

"Oh, she's been dealt with…" Bowser grinned.

Outside, Kai was seen lying out on the ground, being carried off by Toads. It was very clear she could've beaten Bowser, but he must've cheated.

"You're on…" Flash shook his fist at Bowser, then turning to Camilla and Elise. "Change of plans you two - whoever wins the battle against Hammer Bro is immune today. Hope you've got some energy left!"

"We can take whatever he throws at us," Camilla mused. "And we don't answer to the help."

"Yeah! What Camilla said!" Elise fist-pumped. "Sister Powers, activate!"

* * *

 **BOSS BATTLE**

Camilla vs Elise vs Hammer Bro

Hammer Bro's Chaotic Cacophony

Players: Camilla, Elise

Description: Match the rhythm that Hammer Bro is making by ground pounding on your own drums.

Hint: Both players are working on the same rhythm - speed is the key to success!

* * *

Hammer Bro took up position at the drums, Camilla and Elise using a similar four drum set that Hammer Bro was using. Each drum had a color to it - red, blue, green, and yellow. Hammer Bro let out a laugh, prompting Camilla and Elise to exchange a nod with one another.

 **START!**

Hammer Bro began his 'symphony' by badly playing on the drums - red, yellow, green. The two sisters split up to get the first two notes, and Elise was faster on getting to the green drum. With Elise's hit on the green drum, the first rhythm got sent back in his direction to hit him.

Hammer Bro's next movement was a buildoff of the last rhythm. Red, yellow, green, green. Same strategy as last time, but Camilla was able to get the second green before Elise could snatch it for herself.

The next rhythm was new - blue, green, yellow, blue, and red. Elise was faster than Camilla, looking to maintain the lead but lost the round lead on the second blue hit.

It was at this time that Hammer Bro started getting angry - being beaten by two tiny princesses? Quickly, he threw hammers up towards the ceiling, destroying the light fixtures and bringing darkness to the room, save for the one window in the music room.

 **Score**

Elise: 7

Camilla: 5

The good news for Camilla and Elise was that they could see their own drums, but the bad news was they couldn't see Hammer Bro's drums, so they had to rely on their own hearing. Hammer Bro chimed the next rhythm - blue, red, blue, green, green, yellow. Elise, taking careful note of which drum was which, was able to keep up with Camilla, who was able to note which drum was which just as well as she was. Each princess got 3 on this rhythm.

The next rhythm had seven hits, and the challenge was ramping up - red, green, yellow, blue, yellow, green, red. Elise took the lead, but Camilla did her best to stay ahead of her, barely managing to get the majority of hits on the rhythm.

What felt like the last rhythm didn't have eight beats, but nine beats. Blue, yellow, green, red, green, blue, yellow, red, yellow. Camilla took the lead this time, hitting the first three beats, Elise would hit the next two beats, then it would go back and forth between the two, with Elise slamming down on the last one.

"You're going down, scumbag!" She exclaimed, landing the final strike.

Hammer Bro fell on his back, spinning around until he stopped, defeated.

 **FINISH!**

 **Final Score**

Elise: 16 (Plus 3 Final Strike)

Camilla: 17

* * *

"Yay! We win! We win!" Elise skipped around happily. "Now we're gonna change back, yay yay yay!"

"And with that, Elise is our big winner of the day - Elise, wins immunity!" Flash announced.

Camilla brought Elise in for a big and motherly hug, the younger of the two giggling like an innocent schoolgirl all the while. Bowser however, slowly clapped.

"Gehahahahaha...so you think you can all be changed back now?" Bowser then revealed he crossed his fingers. "I lied!" He raised up his foot, ready to squish the players and host again. "Say goodbye, for real this time!"

However, this would've happened had it not been for a javelin thrown at the Minimizer. The wand was broken on impact, and suddenly all the shrunken individuals were turned back. Everyone turned to see where the javelin was thrown from. It was Silas!

"Phew! That was a close one," Silas was relieved.

"Well, about time someone came to help us!" Keaton exclaimed.

"Bah! Just when I was about to win!" Bowser growled.

"Give it up, Bowser," Silas demanded, pointing his sword at the Koopa King. "Your meddling has gone on long enough."

"I'm not giving anything up just yet, rookie." Bowser cracked his knuckles. "I have one more trick up my sleeve."

"Hey, if you two are gonna fight, take it outside!" Toadette ordered. Bowser paused for a moment…

Then said, "Fine." Everyone watched from the doorway as Silas got ready to fight Bowser.

"Okay, I got this great gadget for our fight!" Bowser boasted. "Cower before the power of my new Megamorph Belt!" He got a black oval like object with two horns ready, placing it right smack dab on his chest. He turned into a golden block that was surrounded by other black blocks to form what looked like a blocky top.

"On my honor as a Nohrian knight, I will not let any sort of trickery of yours best me!" Silas declared.

Bowser began spinning around the town square, and Silas stayed on the move to remain out of Bowser's way. This phase turned into a real bullfight with fireballs being spewed out in the process. Eventually, Bowser's top form fell over, allowing Silas to get some licks in with his sword, forcing Bowser to take on a second form - a cube this time.

As Bowser rolled about trying to squish the young knight, Silas stayed one step ahead of him and waited for a reprieve. One wouldn't come, forcing Silas to rush in and try to get Bowser to change forms. He was struck with a fireball, but held strong and got Bowser to take on a third form - a snake, with the golden block at the head.

Bowser slithered around in a blocky manner around the square, sticking to the outside and forcing Silas to try and avoid his onslaught. However, as this happened, Silas wondered what would happen if he tried to throw his sword. Taking aim as if he was throwing his javelin, Silas tossed his sword…

And connected. Bowser reverted back to his usual self as the Megamorph Belt was destroyed. He was down, but not out at all. Silas pointed his blade at the Koopa King.

"You're finished," He declared. "Give up."

"Grr...never! You just got luck-"

Bowser was then suddenly cut off by a loud breaking sound - everyone present witnessed a guitar being smashed over Bowser's head, which did knock him out for real this time. They would see the woman wielding it was none other than Ibuki Mioda herself, who Toadette mentioned was at her place earlier.

"Ugh, Ibuki thought he'd _never_ shut up." The musician scratched the back of her head.

"Freaking savage." Flash went over to high five Ibuki. "I should've known you were here with that...impressive performance earlier."

"Impressive? I can still feel my ears ringing!" Takumi shouted.

"Oh, quit complaining," Flash responded.

"Smashed guitars sound way better than unsmashed ones!" Ibuki added with a grin.

"Thank you for the help, miss..uh…" Silas asked for a name.

"I! As in Ibuki Mioda. Buki! As in Ibuki Mioda. Mi! As in Ibuki Mioda. Oda! As in-" Ibuki began.

"Ibuki Mioda?" Silas finished for her.

"Ding ding, we have a winner!" The ultimate laughed. She turned to Toadette. "Thanks for having Ibuki over, Toadette-chan!"

"Ah, don't mention it," Toadette nervously chuckled. Mioda went off, and Toadette finished with, "Ugh, Grambi, I'm gonna get a lot of noise complaints…"

"Godspeed, my friend," Flash sympathized. "Everyone else, we got a vote to do. Let's get back to the fort, you've got all afternoon to figure out who is getting the axe." With that, everyone followed Flash back to the fort.

* * *

The final ten began lining up their strategies as to who was getting the boot that night.

Sakura met with Ryoma, hoping he had a plan in mind.

"U-Um...Big Brother?" Sakura spoke up.

"What is it?" Ryoma asked.

"I um….kinda t-told Xander about my a-alliance with Elise...I'm sorry!" Sakura apologized.

"There's no need to apologize for it, for I have a plan tonight," Ryoma explained. "Xander and I only wish to eliminate each other directly, not through backstabbing. So what we're going to do is force a tie. You, Subaki, Takumi, Keaton, and I will vote for Xander, and everyone else will vote for me. If everything works the way I hope it to, Xander and I will face each other in a tiebreaker challenge."

"But, um...what if you l-lose…?" Sakura asked worried.

"Relax, Sister. The people of Hoshido will give me the strength I need to win," Ryoma promised. "Go tell Takumi of what's going on." He went off to find Xander to explain his plan as Sakura went to fulfill her end of the bargain.

" _In truth, I'm doing this to protect Sakura and Takumi. I know that the Nohrians will be targeting us soon, so if I can take one of them out now to even the score, then we'll be able to get a foothold we need to survive." -Ryoma_

Ryoma found Xander talking with Peri.

"What is it, Ryoma?" Xander asked. Peri stayed quiet, listening intently.

"I wish to duel you in a tiebreaker, so I propose a forced tie vote. 5 of us vote for me, and 5 of us vote for you. And whichever one of us wins, wins." Ryoma repeated his plan to Xander.

"Ha! I like your cunning, Ryoma," Xander complimented. "And I accept your challenge!"

"Ooh! Lord Xander fighting Hoshido's king one on one? That sounds awesome!" Peri squeed.

" _If this plan works, of course Lord Xander is gonna crush his equal. He has me cheering him on at all times, so no doubt that we're gonna see him pull out the win! Kee hee!" -Peri_

Meanwhile, Takumi did a double take when he heard the plan for Sakura. "Did I hear that right? Ryoma's going to try and force a vote?"

"W-Well, yeah….that's the plan a-anyway…" Sakura then slinked off to her own room as Takumi silently got ecstatic.

" _Oh Hotoke, Ryoma, you're a genius! Oh man, I think I can do this now! All I just need is one person to switch his or her vote over to Xander, and boom! He's out! Of course, I could put all my faith in Ryoma but...this is an opportunity. I feel like I need to take it to get out of the bottom." -Takumi_

As soon as Sakura was out of sight, Takumi went to go find Keaton.

"Hey, Takumi. Your ears still hurt?" Keaton asked.

"Do you want to flip this game on its head?" Takumi responded. Keaton paused, not sure what he meant by that.

"...Go on…" The wolfskin urged. He repeated the plan that Ryoma formed, surprising Keaton. "Wait, really? They're going to try and force a tie?"

"Yeah, and well...this is the perfect time to get Xander out of the game," Takumi explained. "I know I've targeted Leo and I know I've targeted Camilla, and came so close...but with you, we can make this big move to catch them completely off guard."

"Okay...and all you need me to do is vote for Xander and not Ryoma, right?" Keaton asked for confirmation.

"That's all you need to do," Takumi nodded. "We'll get out of the bottom in no time." He then went off to get ready for the night's vote, extremely giddy, leaving Keaton really confused.

" _So...Takumi just gave me all the power tonight for the vote. Why is he saying this is a 'big move'? It's not like there's a jury of our peers we gotta impress...seriously. But I do wanna get out of the bottom...agh, I feel like I'm gonna piss people off no matter what I do, so I just went with my gut here." -Keaton_

Sakura was meeting up with her alliance just before the vote. "So...what do you guys think about this development?" Camilla wondered.

"I say we let Ryoma go for it," Elise said. "I mean…" She looked at Sakura. "Either way we split this, we're gonna lose someone...but we all gotta make sacrifices."

"Y-Yeah...we sure do…" Sakura trailed off.

"Lady Sakura, I think I speak for all of us when I believe Lord Ryoma is only doing this to protect you and Takumi. Lord Xander would be doing the same for siblings - it's almost as if they don't want you voted out," Subaki theorized. "At least...not yet anyway."

"Just as Elise said, let's stick with this plan and see how it benefits our game as a whole," Camilla seconded Elise's notion. The four of them all nodded, and went to join the others for this potentially wild Elimination Ceremony.

* * *

Once the sun set, the ten remaining players all met in the basement for the voting, Flash once again on screen.

"Hello again folks, and sorry about the shrinkage today," Flash started. "So Leo. We're almost at the halfway mark in the game, we've had some crazy votes already in the merge, do you think this trend will continue?"

"Well, with what I've heard regarding my brother and Ryoma, we're going to keep seeing crazy votes like this for the next few days probably," Leo answered.

"Why? What do you mean?" Flash asked, clearly wanting to know more.

"Ryoma came up with a plan to split the vote tonight between Xander...and himself," Leo continued, surprising Flash.

"...Wow. In all my years of watching competitive reality television, I have never heard such a move like this before," Flash commented. "Keaton, what do you make of all this? Does this seem like a bad idea?"

"I mean, I'm not them so I wouldn't know if this is a good idea or not," Keaton responded. "But uh...if you want my opinion, it seems like they're putting others before themselves."

"So Ryoma. This is a really risky bid you're trying to make here," Flash continued. "If your plan works, and everyone votes the way you want them too, you've still got a 50/50 chance of being eliminated. Also, there's the chance one person could say 'Nah, screw that,' and vote the other way and ruin it all. Are you willing to go all in?"

"For my siblings, of course I would," Ryoma answered.

"Xander, are you in the same boat as Ryoma?" Flash then asked.

"For the same reasons my equal is," Xander nodded. "It's the best way I'll accept defeat from him in this game." Peri giggled.

"Peri, you're clearly excited about this," Flash noted. "Do you have faith that your liege can win this?"

"You're right I'm certain!" Peri answered. "I'm so certain, I wanna vote right now!"

"Takumi, what do you think about this whole vote?" Flash wondered. "I mean...we've got a split vote plan laid out on the line here!"

"All I'm going to say is this…" He turned to Ryoma. "Brother, I just wanted to say thank you for the second chance you've given me in this game." Everyone didn't know what Takumi meant by that, but Ryoma gave a smile as a response.

"You're welcome." He said.

"Alright, I guess we're ready to vote then?" Flash asked. Everyone all agreed. "Alright, it is, time to vote. Xander, you're up."

Outside the fortress on the outdoor stage, everyone in the audience was clamoring with excitement at the possibility of a tie or something else entirely.

"Well, that was probably the boldest plan I've ever heard be laid out. But we know what is said about best laid plans," Azura said. "Hello everyone, and welcome back to another night of excitement." The monitor showed Xander in the voting booth.

"Xander is on board with Ryoma's plan for a split vote. Will it work out?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Xander! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Ryoma. May this tiebreaker happen." Xander voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now," Xander left the booth, passing Peri in the hall.

"Peri is confident Xander can beat Ryoma. Her vote should be obvious," Azura mentioned.

"Hello Peri! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash requested.

"I'm voting to eliminate Ryoma for the tiebreaker! Goooooooo Xander!" Peri voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Peri left the booth, passing Elise in the hall.

"Elise wonders how this could benefit her game. How will she vote?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Elise! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash instructed.

"My vote's for Ryoma. Good luck!" Elise voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Elise left the booth, passing Ryoma in the hall.

"Ryoma set this whole plan in motion, and he says he's 'all in'. Will he cash out, or go bust?" Azura mused.

"Hello Ryoma! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate Xander. May we both have the best of luck tonight." Ryoma voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Ryoma left the booth, passing Sakura in the hall.

"Sakura had Elise tell her she needed to be willing to make sacrifices. Will that be the case tonight, let's find out." Azura said.

"Hello Sakura! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"Um...my vote is for X-Xander…" Sakura voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Sakura left the booth, passing Subaki in the hall.

"Subaki's vote should be obvious, but it will be interesting to see how he feels about the aftermath," Azura commented.

"Hello Subaki! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I'm voting to eliminate Xander." Subaki voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Subaki left the booth, passing by Camilla in the hall.

"Camilla is with Elise, 'How will this benefit our game?' And we wonder, will it benefit her at all? Let's see," Azura mused.

"Hello Camilla! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"My vote is to eliminate Ryoma. Sorry darling, but I really want to see this go down." Camilla voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Camilla left the booth, passing Leo in the hall.

"Leo has remained quiet for most the afternoon. Is he on board with Xander's plan?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Leo! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"As much as I want to get Takumi out, he'll have to wait. I vote to eliminate Ryoma." Leo voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." Leo left the booth, exchanging a glare with Takumi as he passed the younger Hoshidan prince in the hall.

"Takumi has a big move in mind to get rid of Xander, but it all hinges on Keaton. Will it work?" Azura thought.

"Hello Takumi! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"Third time better be the charm, because I'm voting to eliminate Xander!" Takumi voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Takumi left the booth, passing Keaton in the hall. Before Keaton went in the booth, Takumi mouthed, 'Remember, vote Xander!'

"All of the power tonight is in Keaton's hands. Will he follow through with the plan, or side with Takumi for a blindside?" Azura thought.

"Hello Keaton! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I've got all the power tonight…" Keaton scratched the back of his head, thinking it over for a moment. "...Agh, what a pain, I'll go with my gut. I vote to eliminate Xander; there Takumi, I said it."

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Keaton then left the voting booth to join the others. A chorus of shocked ooh's and ahh's erupted from the crowd.

"With Keaton's vote, Xander's fate has officially been sealed. Now we wait for Flash to hand down the verdict."

"Alright everyone, the votes are in!" Flash began. "Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe. Those people are...Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Takumi, Leo, Elise, Peri, and Keaton."

Everyone was anxious to see what would happen.

"Xander? Ryoma? By a vote...of 6 to 4...Xander...you are eliminated from Fates Party."

The results came as a shock to everyone...well, almost everyone.

"Yeah! Take that, Leo!" Takumi taunted in an unsportsmanlike way. While everyone was surprised, Keaton wondered if he made the wrong choice, watching Peri slowly fall to the floor, curling up in the fetal position and crying.

Xander knelt down to her, wiping away her tears. "Peri...dry your eyes. This is not the end." He helped her stand. "Do try to win this for me...okay?"

"O-Okay, Lord Xander…" Peri just started bawling, wrapping her arms around Xander in an iron grip of a hug. After a moment or two of this, he had to let go, before facing Ryoma.

"Some other time we shall cross blades for real," Xander said. "Until then, best of luck to you, and everyone else." Both men shook hands with a shared smile as Xander went up the stairs.

A standing ovation was in order for Xander as he went to speak with Azura.

"Well, that was certainly one way to go out," Azura chuckled. "Sometimes you've gotta risk it all. It's so good to see you again, Xander."

"Likewise Azura," He greeted jovially.

"So...what do you think went wrong tonight?" Azura wondered.

"Obviously, someone flipped," Xander answered. "I have a very strong suspicion that Takumi played a hand in my elimination tonight, since he did thank Ryoma for this 'second chance' he was given in the game."

"Do you believe that what Takumi said was true?" Azura wondered.

Xander shook his head. "As long as Peri is still in there, I firmly believe that she will make his life a living hell until he is out of the game with me."

"Speaking of, this was a concern of Flash's. He was afraid Peri might fly into a homicidal rampage if you were voted out." Azura brought up. "What do you say to that?"

"Peri...she's gotten better," Xander confided. "The war did good for her, as she's starting to learn the difference between right and wrong, but there's always the risk for her regressing."

"One more question, about your siblings," Azura then said. "It was mentioned by Ryoma he was doing this move for Takumi and Sakura, and you said that you were going and doing it for Leo, Camilla, and Elise. If you could turn back time, would you have done anything differently?"

"Not at all," Xander replied. "Maybe would've done something to get me that duel with Ryoma, but things happen. As the king of Nohr, it is my duty to put the people first before myself, as it is my sworn duty to protect and guide them towards glory and prosperity. Likewise, even if we aren't tied by blood, I consider Leo, Camilla, and Elise family. We're tied by something thicker than blood, having survived the concubines together. It was not pretty...but if it meant staying alive to have a successor to the throne, then it had to be done."

"Thank you for your time here, Xander," Azura finished.

"I had fun out here. Maybe I can play again some other time." Xander then got up to go down the torchlit path, one more raucous applause for him.

When he arrived at the lodge, Azama was there to greet him. He was surprised.

"Well well, it seems Xander here was a victim of regicide." The monk said.

"Azama. Witty as always." Xander smirked.

(B-B-B-BLINDSIDE!

Okay, so here's the thing. The original plan was to have Ryoma get eliminated in the tiebreaker, but have it be so epic that the audience at home (in-universe at least), but when I was in Orlando with the fam, I got to thinking what would be a better option. Then I saw the #EpicBlindside from Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers. JudaiKitsune and I agree that it wasn't the best season out there, so what I decided to do was try and make a better #EpicBlindside than that season did. Lemme know if I did better. Because damn, that felt good!

Next time, we'll **get our wah on** and see if Peri snaps and tries to kill someone! See y'all then!

EDIT: I have made an announcement on my DA regarding this episode - I cordially invite you to read it once you reach this point.)


	12. Episode 11: We Are Number Wahn

(Well, last episode was...something. But we're going to find out who the person was that switched their vote last second!...Too bad for Takumi, Peri isn't going to know until it's spelled out to her - and even then that's a risky thing to do.

Also, writing with a head cold/congestion kinda hinders your ability to do basic counting. Shout out to Cody the Worldwalker for the idea on what happened with that vote.)

 **Episode 11: We Are Number Wahn**

 _Previously, on Fates Party…_

 _Sakura and Camilla solidified their alliance, Takumi and Keaton resolved to get out of the bottom, and Kaze and Silas debated on telling Flash their little secret._

 _The challenge was to play musical instruments at Toadette's house, but Bowser shrunk us all down forcing us to play tiny! He was able to beat Kai (probably through cheating with Kamek), but Silas and surprisingly Ibuki Mioda were able to stop the Koopa King. Elise also won immunity from winning in the Hammer Bro boss battle._

 _Before the vote, Ryoma and Xander made a risky bid - force a tie vote and duel with one another in a tie breaker to protect their siblings. But Takumi had other ideas, planning to get Xander out of the game. Elise talked about making sacrifices, and her main alliance wondered how this would benefit their game._

 _The votes showed 5-5 on the episode, but in the end someone switched their vote last second to change the numbers to 6-4 and send Xander packing. 9 are left. Who will be voted out tonight?_

 **Final 9: Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Leo, Takumi, Keaton, Peri, Elise, Ryoma**

While most everyone else was scratching their heads wondering what the heck just happened, Takumi was over the moon happy, Peri was in tears, and the Nohrian princesses however, quickly went to Camilla's room to discuss why Xander was eliminated.

"I'm confused...I know that the way everyone would vote would force a tie...and Takumi was supposed to vote for Xander anyway," Camilla said. "So why did Xander get eliminated?"

"...The truth is, Sis...I switched my vote last second," Elise confessed.

"What? Why would you do that?" Camilla was legitimately surprised at this.

"Because I knew the four we had with our brothers wouldn't last if we were to stick together to the end; we'd eventually have to turn on each other, so that's why I did what I did." Elise justified. "I struck while the iron was hot."

" _We all came out here to play a game, and everyone should expect that even I am here to play. The best part is the past isn't going to decide our future, so it's totally different from any sort of stuff you usually see on TV." -Elise_

"But...Elise, don't you realize what you've done? Peri was kept in check by Xander - if anything, I was planning to get rid of her first before Xander so she wouldn't go on a homicidal rampage." Camilla then mentioned.

"...Oh." Elise paused, then grimaced, realizing her mistake. "Oh Gods, what have I _done!?"_

" _Elise, Elise, Elise...what am I going to do with you? What are Leo and I going to do with you? While I do admit, it was a good play on her part, I also think it was a rash move as well. Without Xander, and Peri still in the game...I dread to think what she'll do to Elise if she finds out." -Camilla_

"I'll go talk to her right now. You stay here and hide," Camilla ordered. "Don't leave your hiding spot until I come back. I'll knock four times to signify I'm back."

"Got it." Elise nodded. Camilla went off to go find Peri.

When Camilla did find Peri, she would see the retainer storming up to Takumi, and she had the look of violence in her eyes. Takumi turned around, seeing this look.

"Ah, crap…" Takumi grimaced, then found himself being lifted up into the air one handed by Peri, who was gripping his throat so hard he felt like she was about ready to crush it.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She screamed, slamming Takumi on the ground. He crawled back slowly up to the wall, fearing for his life.

" _First I get punched out by a giant ape...and now Peri is trying to kill me! Is there no happiness for me here? Am I just meant to be a cosmic plaything? What did I ever do to offend you, Gods!? Can't you see what you're doing to my life!?" -Takumi_

"Peri, that's enough!" Camilla shouted. To Takumi, Camilla came as a savior sent down from the heavens.

"Stay out of this, Lady Camilla!" Peri glared. "This is between this jerk and myself!"

"Except that Takumi was supposed to be voting for Xander tonight," Camilla tried to calm her. "Admittedly, it was Elise who flipped. I don't know what she was thinking, but if you could let me repeat what she told me…"

"What!? Why would she betray her own brother?" Peri was now stunned. "...Oh, no way! I'm gonna-" But before Peri could go off to find Elise, she would find herself in a grappling match with Camilla, both ladies wrestling for control over the other. Takumi, still dazed from the chokeslam, watched on in both shock and amazement.

" _I remember targeting Camilla and her brother in the past few days...and now she's trying to protect me? But why? We're on opposite sides of the numbers; why is she trying to protect me?" -Takumi_

Eventually, Camilla swept Peri's legs out from under her, taking the retainer to the ground. Peri tried to squirm free, but Camilla kept her weight pressed against Peri's body, making sure she wouldn't be going anywhere. Flash showed up, prepared to break it up, but he stopped seeing the two girls wrestling.

"...Holy crap, this is hot," Flash murmured. The three players turned to face Flash, Peri finally deciding to throw in the towel against Camilla.

"Nugh…" Takumi was dazed from the chokeslam, Flash going over to help him.

"I gotcha buddy," Flash said, summoning a Keyblade to hand. With a keychain that had a small, gold alloyed charm of a cherry blossom tree, and a handle that was colored brown with gold bellflower decoration, the blade was a straight katana with three kunai partially sticking out at the end that served as teeth. This was Path of Honor.

Without wasting any time, Flash casted Cura on the younger Hoshidan prince, which was slightly more effective than a normal Cura. Flash held out his free hand for Takumi, who took it and was helped up.

"You gonna be okay?" Flash asked.

"Yeah...I'll be fine," Takumi answered. "I'm just gonna go back to my room now…" With that, Takumi went off. Peri went back to her room to calm down, and Camilla followed after Takumi.

"Hey, Takumi…" Camilla began.

"Why did you help me?" Takumi asked. "I thought we were on opposite sides of the game."

"Takumi, a mature woman should always step in whenever someone needs help," Camilla answered. "For no other reason than it being the right thing to do."

"Look...I know I screwed up…" Takumi got down on his knees. "But I'm begging you. Please, just give me one more chance. Get rid of Peri, please. She's going to try and kill me again once your back is turned."

"Hmm...it's an interesting proposal…" Camilla thought. "I'll think about it." Takumi left.

"Camilllllllllla!" Elise called, running her ways. "Come quick, come quick!"

"Elise! I told you to wait for me," Camilla said. "Why are you-"

"The egg I got back in Future Dream - it's hatching! Everyone's there!" Elise explained. Quickly, she and Takumi followed Elise to her room where everyone was indeed there, seeing the egg glowing.

When the glowing subsided, there was a Togepi in the place of the egg, who looked at everyone confused.

"D'awwwwwww!" The ladies fawned over the adorable new baby Pokemon.

"What is it?" Keaton asked.

"That is a Togepi," Flash explained. "It's one of the many Pokemon that exist in the world."

"So...what're we going to name it?" Subaki asked. Everyone exchanged looks at each other as Flash took the newborn Togepi in his hands.

"I have an idea," He said. "Whoever wins tomorrow's challenge gets the right to name this Togepi whatever this wish - so long as it's appropriate."

Peri frowned. "Fair enough…" She said.

" _After Lord Xander was eliminated, I haven't been able to think straight...but I think that I'll grow from this. I'll do everything in my power to win the challenge tomorrow and make it to the end! And if not, I'll at least get to see him again!" -Peri_

As everyone headed back to their rooms, Leo would find an unexpected guest in his room. It was a strange Shy Guy who handed him a phone the Hint Giver used, and quickly made himself scarce.

"Well...that was weird." Leo then heard the phone ringing in his hand, answering it just as fast as it began ringing. "Hello?"

"Hi there!" The Hint Giver greeted. "I'm talking to Leo, right?"

"How do you know my name?" Leo asked, concerned.

"Trade secret," The Hint Giver responded. "Anyway, I need to warn you about tomorrow - there's going to be someone trying to ruin it. I don't know how though…"

"Who's going to ruin it?" Leo pressed.

"That's the problem - whoever did it covered their tracks too well," The Hint Giver admitted. "But knowing you, you'll be able to handle it."

"Uh...thanks for the heads up then." Leo thanked, the Hint Giver hanging up. He then laid down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He had several things on his mind. Namely, who caused Xander to get voted out? He had a few ideas as to who.

" _All it takes is simple counting to figure out who caused Xander to be ousted. For starters, there were only four people who could have caused that to happen - myself, Peri, Camilla, and Elise. I know for a fact I voted Ryoma, there's no way Peri would vote against my brother, so that only leaves my sisters…" -Leo_

* * *

The next morning, the final nine congregated outside in the usual spot.

"Well guys, we've made it to the halfway mark in the game. Only nine of you are remaining! Soon to be eight, let's go!" Everyone followed Flash through the Dragon's Gate before Leo could react.

By the time they got to their destination, Flash and everyone else paused seeing where they were. The group was on an island with various Luigi symbols and pictures crossed out an even destroyed, but a name was clearly seen among the mess - Waluigi.

"Wait a minute...this isn't where we were supposed to go," Flash said aloud. "What're we doing on Waluigi's Island?"

"Oh, you were expecting to go to a lame board? TOO BAD, WALUIGI TIME!" A voice exclaimed. Suddenly, a large cage dropped down, trapping Flash within.

"Toge!" The Togepi, who went with them, cried out in alarm, huddling close to Elise.

A tall and lanky man was seen approaching the remaining players, laughing at Flash's plight. He had on purple clothes and overalls with a purple hat that had a yellow upside down L. Anyone familiar with the Mario series' side games would recognize this man as Waluigi. These people however, didn't.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Ryoma demanded.

"I'm-a Waluigi, and I'm-a number one!" Waluigi introduced. "Your loser host won't be-a hosting today, wah ha ha!"

"LEMME OUT OF THIS CAGE!" Flash screamed, ramming against the cage door. "Wait a minute…" He summoned Path of Honor...but found that the bars were way too small for his weapon to slip through. "Oh, what?!"

"Wah ha ha! Waluigi Keyblade-proofed that cage!" Waluigi laughed. "You won't be getting in my way!"

"This all seems so absurd," Leo scoffed, realizing this was the man the Hint Giver was talking about. "Why did you alter the Dragon's Gate to bring us to this eyesore?"

Waluigi folded his arms, angry. "Hey! Waluigi put a lot of work in-a this place that belonged to that loser Luigi! That and-a Nintendo never-a gives Waluigi the spotlight! It goes to those cheaters!"

"Let Flash go!" Subaki demanded.

"Hmm...let Waluigi think about that...no!" Waluigi snickered. "Instead, we're-a gonna play games thought up by the great Waluigi!"

"I'm with Leo on this. This is absurd even for the standards we've experienced up to this point." Camilla chimed.

Waluigi got a good look at Camilla, hearts being seen in his eyes. "Wah-wah-wah...hey, pretty lady. You want-a Waluigi to show you a good time?"

"Normally I would take pity on someone who is constantly shunned, but…" Camilla folded her arms. "You admitted that you took this island from Luigi - if anyone is deserving of affection from me, it's him. Not you."

"Ah, you mean the younger of the two Mario Brothers," Ryoma remembered.

Waluigi's facial expression made it look like his heart shattered...which quickly turned to anger. "First game!"

"Ugh, do we have to play?" Keaton groaned. Piranha Plants then sprung up, startling everyone.

"If you-a don't play, then you can be food for the Piranha Plants," Waluigi threatened. While everyone else was willing to comply, there was one obvious outlier.

"Make me!" Peri shouted, lunging towards the Piranha Plants. Taking off one of her boots, she started stabbing the plants with the heel, then went to cutting their roots. Waluigi watched this in shock, then said,

"Eh, we can start without her." The other eight followed after Waluigi to the first game, Elise shielding the Togepi's eyes from Peri's violence.

* * *

Waluigi led the players to nine machines that looked oddly similar to the Dance Dance Revolution machines one would find in the arcades.

"The first thing Waluigi can-a do better than anyone is dance," Waluigi explained, busting a few moves. "Aw yeah, better than Chrom, who-a couldn't get into Smash Brothers! And-a his daughter is just a Marth clone!"

"W-What're we supposed to...to do?" Sakura asked meekly, worried.

"Dance!" Waluigi answered. There was momentary silence, which Takumi broke.

"Oh come on, there's more to it than that," He scoffed.

"Wow, you're smart. You-a want a prize?" Waluigi taunted. "All you gotta do is-a dance like Waluigi - but if you mess up, BZZT!" An electric shock was shown. "You'll get zapped! Last person standing will-a win this game."

"That sounds horrible!" Elise protested.

"Waluigi is-a hosting now! What Waluigi says goes!" Waluigi retorted.

"Just go with it, Elise," Leo spoke. He knelt down to her level and whispered, "Besides, all we need to do is stall for long enough until Flash frees himself from that cage."

"Okay!" Elise chimed. She set the Togepi down on the grass. "Wait here for me, okay?" The Togepi nodded in agreement.

" _This Waluigi guy is a real jerk! Maybe if he wasn't like this all the time he'd have his own game. Well, we're all competing against each other to compete against him...strange as that sounds. Point is, we'll be fine!" -Elise_

Once everyone got a machine assigned to them, Waluigi was ready to start the game. He chuckled however. "What-a the busty lady doesn't know is, Waluigi rigged her machine to-a make her lose. That's what you get when-a you reject Waluigi!"

With that, a horn sounded, with the music beginning to play. For everyone else, it was a pretty easy start. For Camilla, it was noticeably different, but she took it all in stride. In fact, the increased difficulty didn't seem to bother her.

After about a minute, the sound of an electric shock was heard - Sakura stepped on the wrong pad, causing her to go out. She shrieked out, causing Subaki to turn his attention to her.

"Lady Sakura!" He exclaimed. He was about to go help her, but didn't watch his step and got shocked as well. Waluigi laughed at this.

"Two down already!" He guffawed.

"Sisters, whatever happens to us, just focus on the challenge," Leo advised, deep in focus.

"Right!" Both Elise and Camilla exclaimed. Togepi was cheering them all on, but seemed to favor Elise.

Suddenly, Keaton misstepped and got shocked. He twitched a bit and noticed his fur was now standing on edge.

Of the five left, Leo was starting to lag behind, while Camilla was able to contend with the rigged difficulty Camilla put against her. Ryoma and Elise were keeping pace, and Takumi was doing everything he could to get a win here - to him, it was either do or die.

Problem was, he was trying a bit too hard, so once he stepped on a pad too early, he got shocked and sent out of the game.

Soon, Leo couldn't take it anymore and got eliminated with the shock, and Elise shortly followed afterwards after she slipped and missed a prompt.

It was now down to Ryoma and Camilla; the king of Hoshido took notice of the increased difficulty that Camilla had to contend with, but she was facing it all with grace and determination. He was so impressed by her skill that he misstepped and was the last one to receive a shock.

Waluigi's jaw dropped at the results. How did she win? "Waaaah, no! How? You cheated!" He exclaimed.

"On the contrary," Ryoma objected. "I saw that Camilla's dance pattern was clearly different from the one I was doing. What is the meaning of this?"

"It's likely due to me turning him down," Camilla wagered. "Pay it no mind. I did just fine."

" _I've been to many formal galas before, so I know a thing or two about dancing. Of course, there were times when it was more than moving in a circle. Ah, the wondrous times that I had those nights...also, it's hard enough to dance in heels. That takes skill." -Camilla_

"Next game!" Waluigi declared. "Since Camilla won, she will sit out!"

* * *

Those who were all slightly twitching from the electric shocks followed Waluigi. Camilla carried Togepi in her arms as she brought up the rear.

The group next arrived at what looked like a massive ballista, and a pile of old cars. The thing that stuck out about these cars was that they were laced with a lot of explosives.

"Waluigi is-a good at dancing, but before we can go on about how Waluigi number one, we gotta get rid of the trash." He jerked his thumb to eight large cutouts of Luigi, all having crude purple graffiti drawn all over them.

"And how exactly do you want us to 'get rid of the trash'?" Elise wondered, glancing at the cars. "I've got a couple ideas…"

"Simple!" Waluigi grinned. "One at a time, you'll-a step up to the launcher, and shoot one of these trash heaps into the cutouts! The player who-a destroys the most of their cutout wins."

Suddenly, Peri returned to the group covered in scratches and dirt, but with a smile on her face.

"They're all dead~" She informed, referring to the Piranha Plants. Much to her dismay, more Piranha Plants sprouted to load the first car into the ballista.

" _Ugh, first I come back from killing those stupid plants, and now more of them sprout up? *folds arms* Whatever, I could take whatever this guy throws at me. Better them than that…*grumbles*" -Peri_

"So we'll go in the order that you-a lost in the first game!" Waluigi pointed to Sakura. "You're up first!"

"M-M-Me?" Sakura stammered. "Um...o-okay…" Sakura slowly approached the ballista, trying to figure out how to even launch the explosive car at the cutout. Eventually, she got it launched…

But it didn't even hit the target. Instead, it hit the stand that the cutout was attached to, causing it to fall over with a great big thud. Waluigi laughed at this.

Subaki was next up, and had an easier time getting the car loaded. Namely because the Piranha Plants were doing most the heavy lifting. When he launched his car, it managed to score a decent hit, but Waluigi still laughed.

"What's so funny?" Subaki asked.

"You hit the wrong target!" Waluigi exclaimed, rolling on the ground and laughing. Subaki wondered whose target he hit, and found out it was Elise's.

" _I thought I did that perfectly...this Waluigi fellow doesn't really have any clear labelling on these targets for us. I feel like if I knew where my target was clearly, I would've won this game flawlessly." -Subaki_

Next up was Keaton, who did alright, destroying a portion of his target, but his main focus was the various car parts that were sent flying. He rushed off to go get some.

Next up was Takumi, and he rubbed his hands together.

" _Finally, a challenge where I really shine! Firing a ballista is no harder than using a bow, something I'm exceptionally skilled at. Maybe...maybe this was the chance I was looking for." -Takumi_

When Takumi stepped up to the plate to take his shot, he took a bit more time to line up and get his trajectory right. Takumi took his shot, and landed a direct hit, nearly destroying his entire target.

Waluigi laughed in a positive way. "Take that, loser!" He exclaimed. "Daisy should-a leave you Luigi, and date a real man!"

Camilla rolled her eyes at this. "Define 'real man' for me," She murmured.

With Takumi in the lead, Leo went up next, looking to replicate Takumi's success. While he managed to get the trajectory mostly right, when Leo took his shot he went a little lower than Takumi did, keeping the younger Hoshidan prince in the lead.

Elise went up to the ballista, but Togepi began making noises to get Elise's attention. Togepi pointed to the target Elise had to shoot at.

"Oh! You wanna help me, Togepi?" Elise asked, the Pokemon nodding. "Alright, go for it!"

Togepi began to waggle its hands back and forth, using Metronome.

"What's it doing?" Keaton asked, carrying a muffler.

"..." Leo merely looked at the car part Keaton was holding. "Heck if I know."

When Togepi was finished, it unleashed a move that could only be best described in three words: Roar of Time. Togepi completely obliterated the target Elise had to destroy, causing Takumi and Waluigi to jaw drop.

"Oh, come _on!"_ Takumi exclaimed.

"Wah! That doesn't count!" Waluigi exclaimed.

"What? But you never said Togepi could help me!" Elise countered.

"It. Doesn't. Count." Waluigi repeated. Elise folded her arms and walked back to the others, Togepi following her.

"D-Don't be upset, Elise…" Sakura reassured. "W-Whatever um...Togepi did...that was p-pretty cool…"

Two people were left - Ryoma and Peri. While they did good damage, it wasn't enough to match Takumi's marksmanship.

"And there you have it! Takumi wins the second game!" Waluigi announced.

"Yes! Finally!" Takumi was overjoyed to hear him winning.

" _Takumi has won this second game of Waluigi's - I wonder how many more before we have a winner of immunity decided. Whenever that may be I don't know, but we'll likely have that decided soon." -Ryoma_

"Next game! Takumi, you-a sit out with the purple haired lady." Waluigi began heading off to the site of the next game.

"I have a name, you know," Camilla grumbled.

" _I will say that the second game was incredibly dangerous. One of those projectiles could have blown up in our faces, or a part from one of them could have hit or cut us. If this next game gets someone hurt, I will NOT hesitate to hurt this man." -Camilla_

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Flash, he was still trying to get himself out of the cage, ramming his shoulder into the door. "Get! Open!" He was heard shouting. Eventually, he fell down to the floor of the cage. "Ah...it's useless…where's Kaze when you need him?"

As if on cue, Kaze ninja'd in front of the cage door. "Need some help?" He asked.

"Kaze! What took you so long?" Flash wondered in response.

"Silas and I had something to take care of." Kaze began working on picking the lock for Flash. "Speaking of Silas, he's out contacting some individuals based on what I've heard this Waluigi fellow say."

"I like the sound of this…" Flash mused, rubbing his shoulder. "Agh…"

"Next time don't try bashing your way out of a cage," Kaze frowned. "You'll only hurt yourself."

"Yeah, I'm not Effie. Then again, I also don't require as many calories as she does…" Flash agreed.

* * *

Back with the others, they would now find themselves outside of a large pinball machine. The others were in awe of the large machine in front of them, which was heavily inspired by the Waluigi Pinball track from Mario Kart DS.

"Wah hah hah, another thing Waluigi is good at - pinball!" Waluigi cackled. There were seven large metal hamster ball looking orbs in front of the group, all big enough for everyone to get in to. "This game is simple. All you-a gotta do is make it from the top of the machine to the bottom, and you-a win. Even Fatlard could figure it out."

"This is...safe, right?" Ryoma asked.

"Of course!" Waluigi responded. "Worst that'll happen is you-a get thrown around in these caged hamster balls here."

An uncomfortable silence came over the seven who would be competing. "Uh...sis?" Elise asked, handing Togepi to Camilla. "Watch over this little cutie for me, okay?"

"Of course." Camilla took Togepi into her arms, patting Elise on the head. "Be safe darling, okay?"

"I'll do my best!" Elise skipped back over to the others.

" _This...honestly looks really dangerous, not gonna lie. We don't know what is inside that giant machine, and I'm actually nervous of what's going to happen. I hope Waluigi wrote out a will, because I don't know what'll be left of him once Camilla is done with him." -Elise_

Once everyone got inside a hamster ball, the seven got loaded into the machine. All of them were either curious at what the machine held, or nervous for their own safety.

"3, 2, 1, launch!" Waluigi pulled back on a plunger, letting go of it to send the seven flying into the machine. Two Piranha Plants were operating the flippers of the machine, adding to the difficulty that lay before the players. Inside the machine were many bumpers, spinners, switches, and targets to make navigating to the end enough of a chore; never mind they had to physically try and move their round cages in the direction they wanted to go in to make it to the end.

Subaki was the first to reach the flippers, but got knocked back into a series of bumpers. Sakura was soon to follow, going the same direction he went and bouncing off his ball.

Peri was mainly trying to regain control of her ball as she was sent in random directions going anywhere but down, and Leo was trying to trick the Piranha Plants into not flipping him back so he could get the win, but inevitably failing.

Elise didn't have an easier time either, at the mercy of the machine.

Waluigi was watching the chaos from outside, chuckling.

"How could anyone not-a find this fun? Rosalina...ah, Rosalina...if-a only she would stop looking after those Lumas." Waluigi mused.

"Lumas?" Camilla asked out of curiosity.

"They're these-a pudgy star like creatures Rosalina views as children," Waluigi explained. "She didn't bring them into this-a world, so why even bother?"

"Because they're cute?" Camilla guessed. "Just like this Togepi here. Isn't it just the cutest thing ever?"

Togepi squee'd with delight at Camilla's praise.

"You really shouldn't be saying this stuff on multi-universal television," Takumi pointed out to Waluigi. "Aren't you the least bit concerned some of these people you're trash talking will try to get revenge?"

"Pssh, as if anyone would do that," Waluigi responded.

"Just saying." Takumi got back to watching the game unfolding.

Keaton, at one point, closed his eyes to avoid getting dizzy from all the rolling around. He then tried navigating around the pinball board without really seeing where he was going.

Ryoma, while keeping his cool, was just at as much mercy as the others in the machine. Eventually, after a few minutes, someone finally managed to escape the machine. That person…

.

.

.

.

...was Keaton, relieved to be out of there.

"Ugh...that was misery…" Keaton groaned.

" _I don't know how long was in there, but man my legs are tired. Least I'm not dizzy, but what good will that do me in any other games today?" -Keaton_

Everyone soon exited the pinball machine as well. Some were more tired than others, Sakura collapsing on her back from exhaustion and Leo being brought to his knees. Elise was on all fours, panting hard. Subaki had to help Sakura by carrying her, and even he needed Ryoma's help to do that.

Before Waluigi could say anything about another game, a loud voice rang out. A very familiar loud voice.

"YOU!" It was Flash! And he was pointing Path of Honor at Waluigi. "You...are so going to pay for this!"

"Wah! How did you get out of-a the cage?" Waluigi cried out in alarm.

"Kaze picked the lock," Flash answered. "You come on to MY show, hold me hostage, and force my players to compete in extremely dangerous 'games'!? You monster!" He looked at the final nine. "Are you guys okay?"

The responses ranged from 'right as rain' to 'I need a healer', which only fueled Flash's anger.

"I for one am sick of you, Waluigi," Camilla added, glaring at him. "You put my poor darlings through a lot of hell today, and I am in a MOOD. If this hurts, I'm not sorry."

"Me too," Takumi added, cracking his knuckles. "Even if my siblings might go against me in this game, blood is blood. I can say whatever I want, but I will not sit around and let you bully my siblings like this."

"Yeah...count me in," Keaton added, hands on his knees. "I might be tired out, but I'm still not gonna let this slide. Hope your bones make good toothpicks."

Waluigi started backing up, and realizing how screwed he was right about now, began running towards a particular island which was very close by.

"He's going to the Anarchy Island!" Flash exclaimed. He turned towards the three who spoke out against Waluigi. "You guys won his games?"

"I excelled at dancing," Camilla answered.

"I did well with a ballista," Takumi added.

"And I just rolled out of that death trap first," Keaton chimed.

"Alright. Whichever of you wins the boss battle against Waluigi, wins immunity." Flash responded. They would see Waluigi get inside a robotic mech like contraption that looked like him.

"Waluigi finally has the spotlight, and I-a won't let no losers steal it from me!" Waluigi exclaimed.

"We'll be the judges of that!" Takumi shouted back. "Let's get him!"

* * *

 **BOSS BATTLE**

Camilla vs Takumi vs Keaton vs Waluigi

Waluigi's Anarchic Assault

Players: Camilla, Takumi, Keaton

Description: Waluigi is trying to squash you! Launch pinballs back at his mech to win this battle.

Hint: The battlefield has random effects at various intervals. Pay attention to avoid blindsides!

* * *

The three players were each outfitted with a device to help them in this challenge. On paper they would look like the padded bags used in the sumo challenges of Survivor - blue for Camilla, red for Takumi, and green for Keaton - in the center was a flashing section that when connecting with something, would send a kinetic energy blast to send said something flying in the other direction.

The battlefield was rectangular in shape with rounded corners, bumpers lining the walls. Waluigi and his mech let out a laugh, the mech sounding obviously more robotic.

"Well, would-a you look at the time...IT'S WALUIGI TIME!" Waluigi exclaimed.

 **START!**

With that, Waluigi's mech launched a large pinball at slow speed from its mouth, quickly followed by another. The players hurried to launch the pinballs back at Waluigi's mech, but the problem was the battlefield's walls were protecting the body of the mech.

It took a little bit of trial and error, but Camilla managed to figure out what needed to be done - and that was to squat down a bit and hit the pinball upwards to strike the mech. By doing this, Camilla scored the first hit against Waluigi.

As other pinballs entered the arena, the battlefield began to tilt slightly in various directions, fouling the balances of the three players, and causing Keaton to fall over. He would've gotten hit with a pinball, but Takumi came in at the last second to hit it back and damage Waluigi.

The battlefield returned to normal, but the ground they were standing on soon became icy, making standing still to retaliate against Waluigi harder. They managed, but progress was slower because of this.

Once the floor was de-iced, the trio quickly resumed their attack. After a couple more hits, Waluigi began fuming, throwing a temper tantrum.

 **Score**

Camilla: 4

Takumi: 3

Keaton: 3

More pinballs were coming out of the mech's mouth, but some of them were flashing. Takumi instantly knew what was going to happen if they made contact with those.

"Everyone, stay away from those flashing ones! They'll explode if we hit them!" He warned.

Keaton, who was about to hit one, quickly jumped out of the way before it made contact with him. As if the exploding pinballs weren't enough, Podobos began jumping onto the battlefield and moving around, looking to try and burn the players. All these distractions made hitting Waluigi even harder, which is what he wanted.

Eventually, Waluigi began throwing Bob-ombs at the players, especially trying to hit Camilla for whatever reason. Takumi saw an opening to try and catch up with Camilla, but Keaton was trying to do the same thing, hungry for a win.

However, Camilla fought really hard - side-stepping Bob-ombs, avoiding the exploding pinballs, and at one point took a Bob-omb that hadn't yet detonated, and chucked it at an exploding pinball to make a loud and large explosion.

This move created the opening she needed since Waluigi's mech was about to go out any second. Takumi and Keaton were disoriented but unharmed by the blast, and Camilla saw the one pinball she needed to hit in order to finish the fight.

"You've been naughty!" She exclaimed, striking the pinball to land the final strike.

Waluigi's mech began malfunctioning before spontaneously exploding, sending Waluigi hurtling down on the cold, unforgiving ground in a daze.

 **FINISH!**

 **Final Score**

Camilla: 7 (Plus 3 Final Strike)

Takumi: 6

Keaton: 7

* * *

Waluigi struggled to get up, and Camilla towered over him. His head turned to the right slightly to see something that gave him a shock. He would find that Silas was there, but he wasn't alone. Accompanying him was Lucina, Daisy, and Rosalina, and they all were pissed with him. Before he could say anything, Camilla grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, lifting him off the ground to her eye level.

"Wah...n-no! Have mercy!" Waluigi cried.

"Mercy?" Camilla tilted her head slightly, then flashed a cruel smirk. "Sorry, I'm fresh out." He then threw Waluigi towards the three princesses with all her might. "He's all yours!" She called out to them.

What happened to Waluigi next was so brutal, we couldn't show it on camera. Just know it was very painful.

"And with that, we have our winner!" Flash grinned. "Oh, Camilla...that was beautiful." He turned to the players. "Look, I'm sorry that happened...I promise this won't happen to you guys again."

"Apology accepted," Ryoma said in response. Everyone else was in agreement that Flash was forgiven.

"Anyway, we've still gotta have someone get eliminated tonight. You guys have all afternoon to figure it out. We'll get you cleared of any injuries or whatever then get to it," Flash added. They all went through the Dragon's Gate back to the fort.

* * *

Once everyone was cared for, they all gathered around to have Camilla decide the name of their new Togepi.

"So, have you decided what you wanted to name Togepi?" Flash asked.

"Hmm...I wanted to name it Corrin after my darling baby brother," Camilla mused, causing most everyone to facepalm. "But I decided that'd be too obvious." She put a finger on her chin. "How about...Sunnyside. Togepi did come out of an egg, and this morning we did have a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs."

"How about it, Togepi? Is that name okay with you?" Flash asked. Togepi thought about it, and then happily chirped. "Sunnyside it is! Now go scheme and plot."

Takumi let out a sigh, speaking with Camilla. "Remember what I told you about last night," He said. "My vote is still for Peri, and I would love it if you voted with me tonight."

" _Camilla, ironically, is my last chance I have of staying in this game. She has immunity now, and I don't believe I have the votes to get Leo out, so my best bet is hope the princesses of Nohr agree with me that Peri has to go because of her out of line behavior." -Takumi_

"I'll keep in mind, Takumi," Camilla informed, going off to find Elise.

"So...what're we doing?" Elise asked.

"Well...I don't know, actually," Camilla answered. "I was considering voting out Peri because she broke Xander's rule."

" _Xander specifically told Peri 'No violence against the others in the game.' Last night she attacked Takumi with intent to kill him. As such, that's reason for me to vote her out." -Camilla_

"Wait, seriously?" Elise was surprised. "Look, I know what she did last night, but just...hear me out."

"Elise, Peri would've gone after you next if I didn't stop her," Camilla responded. "And you know how I would fight and die for you."

"Camilla, I'm just trying to play Devil's advocate here," Elise tried to reason. "I know for a fact that Peri will try and vote for Takumi tonight. He's done nothing but constantly target you, me, and Leo all merge long because he thinks we're running the game. With me, Leo, Peri, and you, that's four votes locked up. If Leo can get Keaton to vote with us, we won't have to worry about Sakura and Subaki voting for Peri."

"But Elise, we're in an alliance with Sakura and Subaki. I thought you and Sakura were friends, and here we are scheming behind her back." Camilla folded her arms. "Goodness...this is more complicated than I thought it'd be."

"Just keep it in mind sis, okay?" Elise requested, giving her the same pouty look she gave Xander back at Goomba's Booty Boardwalk. Camilla paused for a moment before bringing Elise in for a loving hug.

"I know how tough this game can be, dear," Camilla said. "Believe me, I do. I'll just need time to take a soak and figure this out." She then left to go think about what to do.

" _Tonight it seems like all the power is in my hands. Do I vote out Takumi to keep my darling siblings happy, or do I vote out Peri for when she stepped out of line and attacked Takumi? It's a really hard decision...I think a nice bath will help me decide." -Camilla_

Meanwhile, Ryoma was meeting with Sakura to decide what to do.

"I-I think you know who I want to vote for…" Sakura meekly said.

"I agree. Peri crossed the line by attacking our brother. The whole vote was orchestrated to end in a tie last night, but someone flipped and sent Xander out," Ryoma added. "I don't know who could've done it."

"Yeah…" Sakura looked down.

" _M-Mario Party...really brings out the worst in people...I know T-Takumi has been mean in the past few days but...I know he's n-not like this truly." -Sakura_

"That said, do we have the votes to make it happen?" Ryoma wondered. "It's possible Camilla will vote with us. She did stop Peri from harming Takumi further."

"Y-Yeah...she might…." Sakura responded. "I-I know Subaki will vote for Peri…"

"Then it all comes down to if Camilla can be swayed," Ryoma reasoned.

" _Peri's behavior has become erratic since Xander was eliminated, and he was keeping her on a leash to keep others from getting hurt by her. Her behavior is now becoming a threat, not only gameplay wise, but to our health overall. She needs to go." -Ryoma_

Ryoma went off to go find Camilla, who was donned in her bathing suit and relaxing in a hot spring on the first floor of the fort. "Camilla, could we talk for a moment?"

"Of course we can," Camilla agreed. "What do we need to talk about?"

"It's about Peri," Ryoma answered.

"Ah...Takumi begged for me to vote for her because of the previous night," Camilla spoke. "He even got down on his knees, begging for help."

"I will make this quick," Ryoma promised. "Peri's behavior was kept in check by Xander. Since he left, she's become even more aggressive than usual and is becoming unpredictable. Not only is that a threat to everyone's health overall, but it'll also be a threat in the game as her votes will be hard to figure out."

"Hmm...you make a good point…" Camilla mused.

"All I ask is that you at least consider what I've had to say." With that, Ryoma left Camilla to her bath, leaving the elder Nohrian princess to figure out her vote tonight. Once her bath was done as she began drying herself off, she decided on who to vote for, going to get dressed for the Elimination Ceremony.

* * *

Once the sun set, the final nine players met in the basement, Flash appearing on the monitor.

"Well, this merge has certainly been one hell of a ride," Flash opened. "Keaton, do you think this merge has followed a certain pecking order, or has it been completely random and all over the place?"

"Flash, I'll be honest with you. I have no idea what's going to happen tonight," Keaton answered. "But I do know that I'm not in any danger tonight."

"And you're positive about that?" Flash pressed further.

"One-hundred percent." Keaton nodded.

"Subaki, that was a bold statement on Keaton's behalf. 'Oh, I'm not in danger tonight.' Do you think that's true for him or not?" Flash asked.

"It's hard to say in a game as crazy as this," Subaki answered. "One moment you have a plan, and then the next it's all thrown out the window as someone you didn't think would go is gone."

"Speaking of, let's go back in time to the last vote. Leo, what do you think happened with that vote?" Flash wondered.

"Obviously, if one does the numbers, I'm positive one of my sisters betrayed us," Leo bluntly said, causing a wave of silence.

"...Okay, and why is that?" Flash continued.

"The only ones who could have caused a 6-4 decision was either myself, Peri, Camilla, or Elise. I know for a fact I voted for Ryoma, and there's no reason Peri would vote against her liege." Leo reasoned. "Therefore, Camilla or Elise switched their votes."

Shock would come to those who were out of the loop, as Ryoma, Sakura, Subaki, and Keaton had really confused looks on their faces.

"That doesn't really make sense," Ryoma responded. "What would Elise or Camilla have to gain from voting out Xander?"

"Because the alliance that I had with my siblings wouldn't last in the finale, so one of them got greedy and sent Xander out early." Leo responded.

"Yeah, Elise!" Peri shouted, causing Elise to flinch.

"Elise, Peri just called you out." Flash stated the obvious.

"Elise voted out Xander?" Sakura asked with alarm. "E-Elise...did you really…"

Elise stayed quiet, Leo folding his arms.

"I'll take that silence as a confession." Leo scoffed.

"Leo, does this change your vote at all tonight?" Flash asked.

"There's one person I want to get rid of tonight, he knows who he is, and then I'll be heavily considering how to punish this traitor." Leo answered.

"Takumi, this is huge," Flash added. "I mean, I've seen Ciera vote out her own mother in Blood vs Water, but this is something else entirely."

"Who's Ciera?" Takumi asked.

"No one important," Flash responded. "Do you think this revelation takes the target off you?"

"I can't say for sure that it does since I feel like I'm on my last legs in this game," Takumi responded. "But I think this will make the cracks I need to stay alive."

"Elise, why would you do that? We're playing a game for a one million gold prize, and you'd turn on your brothers?" Peri questioned.

"You were going to attack Elise!" Camilla then spoke up.

"Was not!" Peri responded, childishly turning away from Camilla. "As if I'd do that to Lord Xander's sister."

"Sakura, does this change your vote at all?" Flash wondered.

"N-Not really...Elise...she's smart...but she's m-my friend...I know who I'm voting for," Sakura answered.

Keaton mouthed 'Wow,' as this happened, clearly taken by surprise.

"Alright, well it is finally time to vote," Flash said. "Leo, you're up." Leo then got up to cast his vote.

Outside on stage, a large crowd was murmuring in excitement at the revelations brought to the players in the Elimination Ceremony when Azura motioned for silence. "Things are certainly heating up inside the game, and soon we will be down to eight. Hello everyone, and welcome back to another Elimination Ceremony." Back inside, we see Leo entering the booth. "Leo has his sights sets on Elise for her betrayal. Will this change his vote tonight?"

"Hello Leo! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash instructed.

"Alright…I have waited to cast this vote for twelve days, and twelve days too long. I happily vote to eliminate Takumi," Leo voted. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Thanks, you can head back now." Leo left the booth, passing by Takumi in the hall.

"Takumi has begged for Camilla to be his savior tonight. Will he stay in the game?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Takumi! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash requested.

"You don't need to tell me twice, I vote to eliminate Peri," Takumi voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now," Takumi left the booth, passing by Keaton in the hall.

"Keaton is confident that he's safe tonight. Who will he side with?" Azura thought aloud.

"Hello Keaton! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash instructed.

"Okay, so...I have no idea what the heck just happened back there, but my vote's for Takumi," Keaton voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now," Keaton left the booth, passing Peri in the hall.

"Peri has been an erratic character this game, and by now her vote is obvious," Azura commented.

"Hello Peri! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate that jerk Takumi," Peri voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now." Peri left the booth, passing Elise in the hall.

"Elise had lobbied with Camilla to vote out Takumi. Did her pouty face gambit work?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Elise! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash instructed.

"Clear cut, I'm voting for Takumi. Buh-bye!" Elise voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now," Elise left the booth, passing Ryoma in the hall.

"Not only did Peri attack his brother, but he claims her behavior is a threat to everyone. Ryoma's vote should be obvious." Azura stated.

"Hello Ryoma! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate Peri, for her attack on my brother," Ryoma voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now," Ryoma left the booth, passing by Subaki in the hall.

"Sakura has made it clear she's voting for Peri. Subaki's vote should also be obvious." Azura added.

"Hello Subaki! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash instructed.

"For my liege Lady Sakura, I vote to eliminate Peri," Subaki voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now," Subaki left the booth, passing Sakura in the hall.

"Sakura, despite everything she and Takumi have been through, still thinks there is good in his heart," Azura commented. "Will her vote match her words?"

"Hello Sakura! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash requested.

"I-It's just like Takumi said...blood is blood...and f-for that reason...I-I vote to eliminate Peri," Sakura voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now," Sakura left the booth, passing Camilla in the hall.

"With four votes even, it all comes down to Camilla to break this tie. How will she vote?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Camilla! Please cast your vote to eliminate," Flash instructed.

"Hmm...tough, tough choice...either way I vote I'll have to do damage control, but I feel Leo will be easier to convince. Therefore, I vote to eliminate Peri," Camilla voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back." With that, Camilla left the booth to rejoin the others.

"With Camilla's vote, Peri's fate has been sealed. Now we wait for Flash to deliver the results." Azura said.

"Alright everyone, the votes are in! Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe. Those people are...Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Leo, Elise, Keaton, and Ryoma."

Takumi crossed his fingers while Peri awaited the verdict.

"Takumi? Peri? By a vote...of five to four...Peri, you...are eliminated from Fates Party." Flash handed down the verdict.

Everyone, save for Camilla, was shocked by the vote. Camilla turned to Leo and whispered, "I'll explain later."

"You better," Leo whispered back.

"Ah, boo!" Peri frowned, but then smiled. "Oh well. Least I'll get to see Lord Xander again!" She grabbed her things and headed up the steps. She was greeted with a large applause, sitting down across from Azura.

"Good to see you again, Peri," Azura greeted. "Are you at all surprised that you're here tonight?"

"Yes and no," Peri answered. "I was totally expecting Takumi to get voted out, but I guess it was my temper that got me voted out."

"I recall there being talk of this rule that you were not to harm other players in this game," Azura mentioned. "Do you think he'll understand why you did what you did?"

Peri shook her head. "Not really...I'll be happy to see him again, but I'll be in for a scolding. I really thought Takumi got him voted out!"

"If you could go back and stop yourself from doing that, would you have done it?" Azura questioned.

"Well yeah! Now that I think about it...it was a really stupid thing to do," Peri admitted.

"Camilla also said she was afraid you'd harm Elise for her betrayal," Azura continued. "And you said you wouldn't."

"Of course I wouldn't do anything to make Lord Xander mad. I feel like...Lord Xander understands what I've been through, y'know? He's always been an understanding person, and I've been trying my hardest ever since the war was resolved, to stop being so bloodthirsty, but there are those times where I just regress. I can't help it sometimes, so that means I've got to get better at controlling my temper. I wasn't really going to kill Takumi, honest." Peri confided. "I just hope he and Lord Xander can forgive me."

"Then perhaps take up a hobby to help you vent those frustrations?" Azura suggested. "One that...doesn't involve death?"

"Huh, I never thought of that. Sure! Once this game is over, I'll do just that!" Peri giggled.

"Well, thank you for playing, Peri," Azura thanked. With one last round of applause, Peri went down the torchlit path to Loser Lodge.

When Peri arrived, Azama was there to greet her.

"Ah, if it isn't Peri. Your chances to win bled out, didn't they?" Azama asked.

"You could..say that." Peri set her things down when she was approached by Niles.

"Peri, I just remembered what we were trying to steal that night," Niles began.

"Oh? And what were you supposed to steal?" Peri asked.

"A doll, but now that I think about it...that doll was you!" Niles answered.

"Huh? I'm not a doll!" Peri laughed it off.

"I'm serious! It was supposed to be simple, but the doll came alive and started to attack us! Like a murder doll!" Niles frowned.

"Ah, if you really did that I'd remember you doing that," Peri shrugged. She got her things and went to get settled in. Niles let out a sigh.

"At least she's not mad at me," Niles said to himself.

(Okay, so lemme just defend my actions here. Camilla's reason for voting off Peri was a complicated one, so lemme explain why she voted the way she did. Either way, Camilla would've had to do damage control with Sakura and Subaki if she voted Takumi out, and she said that Leo would've been easier to do that with. Keeping Sakura and Subaki in check was part of her reason for doing so, and that's why Peri is out.

I didn't like Peri at first, but as the season went along, I started to enjoy writing as her more and more, to the point where she's now one of my favorite Nohr characters. Sometimes this comedy just writes itself.

Next time, **our past will come back to haunt us,** and someone will want revenge! Who will it be? Tune in next time to find out!)


	13. Episode 12: Bonds From The Grave

(And then there were 8...well, things are getting down to the nitty gritty, and we've got five episodes left to go! Hurray! Let's get on with our showdown with King Boo...and all the related nonsense.)

 **Episode 12: Bonds From The Grave**

 _Previously on Fates Party…_

 _Elise revealed she was the one who voted out Xander, Peri attacked Takumi, and the egg hatched into a Togepi. Flash said whoever won the next day's challenge would get to name the Togepi._

 _The challenge took a turn for the worse when Waluigi was revealed to have messed with the Dragon's Gate to send the players to Waluigi's Island, forcing them to play in games that quickly grew dangerous - dancing with electric shocks, exploding car darts, and human pinball._

 _Once Flash was freed thanks to Kaze, Camilla, Takumi, and Keaton, who all won in Waluigi's games, stepped up to fight the string bean, with Camilla coming out on top. She later named the Togepi 'Sunnyside', due to the fact it came out of an egg and they had a scrambled eggs breakfast that morning._

 _Before the vote, Camilla found herself in the swing position. Takumi and Ryoma lobbied for her to vote out Peri, for her erratic behavior and attack on Takumi, and Elise lobbied for her to vote out Takumi, for his constant targeting of the Nohrians all merge long._

 _In the end, Camilla went against her siblings' wishes and cast her vote to eliminate Peri in a 5-4 decision. 8 are left, who will be voted out tonight?_

 **Final 8: Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Leo, Takumi, Keaton, Elise, Ryoma**

Takumi was relieved that he managed to survive the vote, taking a seat in the main hall and burying his hands in his face.

" _Tonight, I don't know how I did it, but I'm still in the game. I guess that means Camilla voted Peri out of the game. Good riddance, she was about ready to rip my head off and be proud of it." -Takumi_

"Oh Hotoke, I don't know how I managed that one…" Takumi mumbled to himself. Ryoma sat down next to him.

"Looks like our talks with Camilla worked," He softly mused. Takumi looked up to lock eyes with his brother.

"Ryoma...I think I owe you an apology," Takumi said. "Look, I was really mad when you, Sakura, and Subaki flipped to vote out Hinoka. And here I am, sitting here tonight thanks to the one woman I tried to vote out earlier."

"This game makes strange bedfellows," Ryoma mused. "One moment you want someone out, the next you want them to keep you in."

"Yeah, I just wanna know why," Takumi added. "I thought Peri was gonna get her way."

Speaking of, Camilla walked inside Leo's room, the younger Nohrian prince looking pretty upset.

"I'm going to be as blunt as possible, sister... _what was that!?"_ Leo demanded.

"Please, I came here to explain," Camilla soothed.

"Then explain." Leo folded his arms.

" _I had him! I had him, and I was this close! Takumi should've gone instead, so why did Peri have to go? In my eyes, she would've been easy to control since all she wanted that ceremony was Takumi out, and playing for my brother would make her an easy pawn. So why did you do it Camilla?" -Leo_

"Okay, first of all, if I wanted to vote Xander out, I would've gotten rid of Peri first because of how unpredictable her behavior can be when our brother isn't around to keep her in check," Camilla began. "The reason I flipped was because Peri broke Xander's rule of no violence against the others."

"Weren't you also worried for Elise?" Leo wagered. "If so, that's unsurprising."

"If she were to give me the impression she would attack you, I would've done the exact same thing for you," Camilla defended. "I get it, you don't like Takumi. I also understand that you really want to win, and knowing how talented you are, there's a good chance you could."

"...You don't get it…" Leo suddenly hung his head.

"Don't get what?" Camilla asked in confusion.

"I haven't done anything worthy of your pride," Leo frowned. "So you can quit faking it."

"What are you talking about?" Now it was Camilla who wanted an explanation.

"I don't have the overwhelming power that Xander does. I'm not good with people like Elise is. And let's not forget, how I could NEVER compare to your beloved Corrin!" Leo turned away from Camilla, hiding the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Leo…" Camilla's voice tone was overwhelmed with concern.

"When...when I heard that this contest was going to be a thing from our brother, I thought this was the perfect chance to prove myself." Leo let a tear or two fall on his bedsheets. "And now that everything I was working towards to show the world that is falling apart at the seams…"

Camilla fell silent, for she climbed on the bed and gently wrapped Leo in a hug.

"Leo, this is ridiculous," Camilla said. "If you're suggesting you don't deserve my love, then I would've let you get shot a bunch of times by those eggs. You're destined for great things in your own right, darling. You just don't see it yet."

"Y-You really think so?" Leo asked. Camilla nodded, delicately wiping away the tears from his eyes.

"Of course!" Camilla responded. "You're one of the smartest people I've had the pleasure of knowing. I've seen how much effort you put in to training and studies, so I know you're capable of being the Superstar."

" _Leo is selling himself short - he's much more talented and skilled than he's giving himself credit for. Even if it wasn't by his own doing, he still managed to outlast Xander, and make it this far. That has to count for something." -Camilla_

"So here's what is going to happen," Camilla continued. "I'll continue to be the doting sister that I am, and you continue to be the brains of the Nohrian royal family."

"Sure." Leo agreed. The two shared an embrace, Camilla dragging it out for longer than she needed to. Not that Leo cared. This was something he wanted.

" _It's a risky move what Camilla is doing. From the looks of it, she's going to try and play both my side and Elise's side. Am I going to let this bother me? It's Camilla, of course it won't. Knowing she at least cares enough to hear what I want to do is good enough for me." -Leo_

Meanwhile, Keaton was roaming the halls by himself.

" _I really thought Takumi was gonna go tonight. With the way he was acting, I stayed quiet and let him draw attention to himself, kinda be a shield from the heat for me. Guess I was wrong." -Keaton_

He was about to call it a night when he heard something open. Curious, the wolfskin went to go investigate. He wasn't able to fully see what was happening when he peeked out from a corner, but he did catch a glimpse of a girl going into the wall.

"...What was that all about?" Keaton wondered, waiting a moment before pressing his ear against the wall, trying to listen in on what this mystery girl was doing.

" _So as I'm going to bed, I see this girl going into a false wall. I have no idea what she's doing here, or even if Flash knows there's been someone hiding here. Heck, how long has she even been here?" -Keaton_

"Pichu-chan, if you wanted to be part of this game, you could've asked me," A male voice, which Keaton was able to determine as Flash's, said. "Seriously, I have cameras covering every square inch of this place. I would've found out eventually."

"I'm sorry," A female voice, the one that was apparently Pichu-chan, replied. "I was bored."

"Well, you haven't done anything to hinder anyone or everyone so...I don't see the harm in you staying," Flash responded.

"Yay! Thank you Flash!" 'Pichu-chan' cheered.

"Ah, don't mention it," Flash chuckled. "Anything for an old friend. I just wish that Kaze and Silas would've told me sooner."

Keaton didn't know what any of this meant, but he heard Flash approaching the false wall so he quickly went back to his room before Flash knew there was someone eavesdropping on him.

* * *

The next day, the final eight players congregated in the usual spot. Flash was waiting there with a letter in his hand. Camilla was holding Sunnyside in her arms.

"I had plans to go somewhere else today, but I got this threatening letter this morning," Flash showed them the letter. "It's from King Boo. 'To the insolent humans and wolfskin from Hoshido and Nohr, I am about as mad as I've ever been in my entire life. You deliberately murdered Boolossus, and I want revenge. If you don't come to Boo's Horror Castle to try and stop me today, I will turn everyone in your pathetic kingdoms into paintings and mobilize my spectral army.' Pretty self explanatory."

"He's not doing _anything_ to Hoshido as long as I've something to say about it," Ryoma angrily stated.

" _Today's challenge seems more than immunity...no, it IS more than immunity. My homeland is being threatened once again, along with our neighbor of Nohr. Mark my words, King Boo is not getting away with this." -Ryoma_

"And he's not going to do anything to Nohr as long as I draw breath," Leo added, glaring. "Let's move it."

"Sure thing, Book Bro!" Flash fired up the Dragon's Gate. "Follow me, everyone!"

The eight players followed Flash through the Dragon's Gate. They would find themselves at the floating steps to a large, two story manor that clearly looked occupied by ghosts.

"So I don't think I need to explain today's challenge to you guys," Flash instructed. "Your mission is to find King Boo and rout him. The person who re-kills him wins immunity. Easy enough?"

"In comparison to everything we've done so far, that's as simple as it can get," Takumi agreed, hiding the fact he was internally nervous.

" _This...this just sucks. I know I have to keep winning immunity and all, but did this have to happen today?...If I don't make it to you, King Boo, consider yourself lucky! I'm about as mad as I've ever been in my life!" -Takumi_

"I-I'll be fine…" Sakura murmured. "I'm not scared…"

"Stay close to me or your brothers, Lady Sakura," Subaki advised. "We'll keep you safe."

"I'll also be going in with you guys. I'm not scared of ghosts," Flash added.

"Togepi…" Sunnyside squirmed in Camilla's arms, looking afraid.

"Now now…" Camilla started rocking the Togepi in her arms. "There's nothing to be afraid of - I'll keep you safe, darling." Her soothing voice was enough to calm the Togepi's nerves.

"Well, looks like we're all ready. Time to go save Hoshido and Nohr...again." Flash led the way up the floating steps to the front door of the castle. A large Boo that was crafted above the front door had its eyes flash red, the doors opening on their own.

Once inside, everyone looked around the inside of the mansion. "You guys feel like we're being...watched?" Flash asked. Behind the group, a painting with a Boo began to shake, causing everyone to turn and face it. A Boo popped out with a communication device of sorts.

"King Boo! The partygoers are here!" The Boo reported.

"Wee hee hee…" King Boo was heard laughing. "So, you finally decided to show your faces here after the incident in Horror Land."

"Did you honestly think the king of Hoshido would just let you flaunt around a threat like that?" Keaton deadpanned. "Seriously, what is it with you villains and your lack of common sense?"

"Shut up!" The Boo shouted. "You're all going to pay for the murder of Boolossus!" With that, the Boo vanished into thin air.

"What's the plan now?" Subaki asked.

"We split up and begin our search for King Boo in pairs," Leo suggested.

"Oh hell no - don't you guys watch horror movies?" Flash quickly objected. "Splitting up is how people die!"

"That only exists in fiction," Leo rebuked. "We'll save time as opposed to being lumped together in one big group where a simple trap could stop us all from saving our kingdoms."

"Fair point. There's also flashlights being unreliable, but...we're not in a horror movie, so I brought one for everyone." Flash passed out a flashlight to each player. "Pair up and please...be safe, alright? No telling what these ghosts will try to pull."

So the group paired up and headed off. The pairs were Sakura and Leo, Camilla and Takumi, Subkai and Keaton, and Ryoma and Elise. Sunnyside tagged along with Camilla, leaving Flash to ride solo. The group trusted he could handle himself against the Boos and other ghosts.

Once they were gone, Flash chuckled. "Oh, King Boo is so screwed...he should be mad at Bowser, he was the one that let Boolossus out. If Bowser didn't do that, he might still be technically alive. Well, as a painting, but alive regard-"

Flash's train of thought was interrupted when the staircase he was going up gained sentience and bucked him off. The steps grew blue spectral flames which acted as a spine for the staircase and having two separate blue wisps as eyes of sorts, and the back end of it had a large, top heavy jaw which had jagged edges that would serve as teeth. It let out a roar at him as he summoned Path of Honor.

"For a set of stairs, you sure are rude!" Flash exclaimed, standing his ground. He wasn't exactly sure how to fight this beast, leading it around like a bullfighting matador. Eventually, it tired out as the fire died down, a little piece sticking out the back that Flash slashed madly at, causing something to pop out of the staircase. It was a strange looking ghost that seemed to take control of ordinary objects around them.

"A Possessor...oh, screw this, I don't have time to rip off the other two layers of its skin!" Flash quickly closed in with Strike Raid and slashed away at the Possessor until it faded away. "Phew...still, if there's one Possessor here...I'm worried about the other guys." He then paused. "Nah, they're resourceful. They'll be fine."

* * *

"Hey, did you hear that?" Takumi asked, with Camilla and Sunnyside in the kitchen of the manor.

"Hear what?" Camilla asked, watching over Sunnyside, who was busy playing around with various cookware and looked like he was having a good time.

"There was this loud roar, and it sounded like it came from the foyer," The younger Hoshidan prince explained, then heard something else. This time however, it was heard from all three of them. "They're coming back, quick hide!" Takumi and Camilla quickly got into hiding, and Sunnyside didn't know where to hide. In desperation, the Togepi jumped in the refrigerator and retreated into his shell. Once they were hidden, Camilla spotted three Boos enter the kitchen from her hiding spot, watching them go to the fridge.

" _So we're hiding in the kitchen of the castle, and I see the Boos going towards where Sunnyside was hiding. Part of me wanted to face those Boos myself, but I wasn't sure if my presence would be enough to scare them off." -Camilla_

"Where are they?" One Boo asked.

"I don't see them," The second Boo said. The third Boo, proving to be quite extreme, got out a rocket launcher, causing the two hidden players to have their eyes widen in shock and horror. The Boo's colleagues were of similar strokes.

"Wait wait wait! Don't do that! If they're not hiding in there you'll die!" The first Boo exclaimed.

"What are you talking about, this isn't Prop Hunt," The third Boo asserted. "Plus, King Boo kinda told us to destroy those guys."

"...Hey, you guys notice this?" The second Boo wondered, pointing to Sunnyside, who was staying still.

"Eh, it's probably just one of those novelty eggs," The first Boo shrugged it off. "By the way, you hear about that Splatfest which was about the chicken or the egg?"

"Yeah, I thought that was pretty risky of Nintendo to do," The second Boo agreed. "Like, why would you bring such a controversial topic into a game meant for kids?"

"Nintendo? Meant for kids?" The third Boo started laughing. "One word: Bayonetta." He laughed some more. "And don't get me started on that purple haired harlot from Fates!" That comment made Camilla's blood boil, but she kept her cool to avoid getting spotted.

"There's better examples of dark stuff being in Nintendo games," The first Boo reminded. "Anyway, why should it matter? It's not like kids would take a discussion like that seriously. All they would want is to compete."

The three Boos all agreed that it wasn't such a big deal after the first Boo said that, leaving the kitchen. Once Takumi confirmed they were gone, he said, "Alright Sunnyside, you can come out now."

Sunnyside quickly ran to Camilla, who took the Pokemon in her arms.

"I do _not_ spread my legs for anyone," Camilla grumbled.

"Camilla, I've known you long enough to know that despite your...behavior sometimes, you're not a harlot." Takumi folded his arms. "Appearances aren't everything, after all."

Suddenly, the fridge started to shake, getting their attention. The fridge started shooting out food at the trio, Takumi jumping out of the way and Camilla holding Sunnyside in a way where he'd be protected from any projectiles.

As this happened, Takumi got an idea upon seeing the fridge trying to move, but was limited because of the plug. The younger Hoshidan prince darted for the plug, taking a hit on the head from an apple but it didn't deter him in the slightest. Takumi yanked the plug out of its socket, causing the fridge to have a Possessor pop out of it.

"Another ghost!?" He exclaimed. The Possessor, shaking his fist at Takumi, made a move towards the stove. Camilla knew what needed to be done, so she set Sunnyside down far away from the stove and started filling a pot with cold water.

"Takumi, keep that stove door shut!" Camilla ordered. "I need a little time to fill this pot!"

"Oh no you don't, you stupid ghost!" Takumi yelled, holding the stove door shut as the Possessor tried to force it open.

" _If I didn't hold that stove door shut, I was going to be burned to a crisp. Well, Camilla and Sunnyside would've been too, but I didn't want to get lit on fire! I've had enough of these ghosts!" -Takumi_

Takumi used all of his strength to keep the door to the stove shut, straining as the Possessor was frantically trying to get it open. Camilla had finished filling the pot with water as this happened.

"Get out of the way!" Camilla shouted. Takumi let the door open, narrowly avoided getting incinerated as Camilla doused the stove's flames with one swift motion. The Possessor was forced out of the stove from this. Seeing as there wasn't much hope left to take these two, the ghost resorted to fleeing. If it had a tail, it would've been between its legs.

"Hah...huff...we did it…" Takumi panted, wiping sweat off his brow. "Gods, I about saw my life flash before my eyes." He turned to Camilla and Sunnyside. "Are you two okay?"

"Right as rain, Takumi," Camilla hummed. "We do need to get a move on, however." The three then left the kitchen, Sunnyside nuzzling close to Camilla's bosom for warmth.

* * *

Out in the side yard of the castle, Subaki and Keaton were on the prowl for clues as to where King Boo could be. It was primarily a straight path leading up to the remains of a small fort, where a Koopa skeleton was. They would also see a Toad House, which got their attention.

"Who would live outside a haunted house?" Subaki wondered.

"Rent must be cheap," Keaton guessed. "Maybe they would know where King Boo is."

The two knocked on the door, a purple spot capped Toad coming to the door.

"Oh hey! Rarely get any visitors out here," The Toad greeted.

Keaton's foot started jiggling, spotting the bones out of the corner of his eye. "Hey uh...you see this King Boo fellow?"

"King Boo? He's in the tower at the top most part of the mansion," The Toad answered.

"Good." Keaton then darted over to the Koopa skeleton.

"...Is he usually like that?" The Toad asked Subaki.

"He's a wolfskin," Subaki answered. "And he also has the most...interesting collections, from what I've heard."

It was a few seconds later when Keaton landed face first behind the Hoshidan. It would take a single look to find out why - that Koopa skeleton wasn't any old one. It was a Dry Bones! And it had icy blue eyes instead of the usual yellow, along with being quite big.

"Oh my!" Subaki exclaimed.

"I NEED TO COWER IN FEAR NOW!" The Toad ran inside to do Toad things, as Keaton was backing up from the Dry Bones. It threw a bone at him, which Keaton caught.

He then started gnawing on the bone, pretty much distracted.

" _*still gnawing on the bone* This place is awesome! I mean, we went to several haunted places before in this game, and they've all had pretty cool stuff for my collections. If more challenges were like this, I'd be signing up for one of those all star seasons!" -Keaton_

Subaki, quickly thinking, spotted a potted plant in the Toad's house. "Forgive me for this…" He softly said, taking the potted plant and hoisting it over his head. With a running start, he threw the plant at the Dry Bones, striking its chest and making the skeleton crumble without a core.

A Possessor then popped out, wielding a bone that it was using as a sword. Subaki, seeing a spare bone similar to the one that the Possessor was wielding, grabbed it and exclaimed, "En garde!"

And so the two dueled, with the Toad still cowering in fear and Keaton still gnawing on the bone he got from the Dry Bones.

" _By far, this is the strangest thing I've done all game. Given how this game makes less sense as we near finale night, I have a feeling I'll encounter something that is much, much more bizarre." -Subaki_

At one point, the Possessor got Subaki to the edge of the path, with him narrowly falling off. Despite this, Subaki kept his composure and managed to step back on the path fully with the Possessor going for a lunge.

Without hesitation, Subaki struck, disarming the Possessor and sending the bone away. Furious, the Possessor blew a raspberry at the sky knight and fled.

"Ha ha! Handled like an expert!" Subaki boasted.

"Hmm?" Keaton looked up from his bone and towards the second story balcony. "Well, here's what I wanna know now, expert. How are we going to get up there?"

Both guys looked to the balcony, trying to think of a plan of action. It was at this time a familiar face was heard stirring inside the Toad House. Subaki and Keaton would then go inside to see who it was.

* * *

Meanwhile with Sakura and Leo, the two were scanning around a long hallway with their flashlights. They would notice there were quite a lot of two things - windows, and spiderwebs. There were also wall-mounted candelabras providing light for the pair.

"We'll be just fine here, Sakura," Leo reassured. "But it is rather dusty…"

"Y-Yeah…" Sakura trailed off, feeling a sneeze coming on.

" _The reason I paired up with Sakura was mostly strategic - I want her to feel comfortable around me so in the event I want to vote out Elise, Sakura might be more willing to jump ship. Of course, it's a long shot, but I don't have many options here." -Leo_

They would soon get the feeling there was a spider nest nearby, judging by the spiders scampering by their feet.

"L-Leo…? I um...I don't think we're a-alone in here…" Sakura stammered. Out of curiosity, they followed the spiders' trails leading to one massive nest where there was a large spider, sleeping. They both froze, and Sakura visibly recoiled from the site.

"Stay calm…" Leo whispered. "As long as we don't make any noise, we should be fine…" He started backing away slowly from the nest. Sakura did too, but couldn't hold it in for any longer.

"A...A...Achoo!" She loudly sneezed, which unfortunately caused the spider to open its green eyes and spot Sakura right away. Before she could react, the spider shot silk at Sakura, tying the younger Hoshidan princess down. She shrieked as the spider crawled towards her, looking to add the girl to its web.

"Sakura!" Leo exclaimed, looking for a plan of action. He spotted a ball of silk that was at the spider's web, where Sakura was currently being hung. The spider set its sights on Leo, going to lunge towards him. Leo shone his flashlight in the spider's eyes, blinding it long enough for him to get the ball of silk. Pulling it back, he got back long enough to grab a candelabra and lit the silk on fire. As the fire trail led towards the web, the spider was distracted by trying to put out the fire. Leo saw his chance and rushed to get Sakura free from the web.

"H-Hurry!" Sakura screamed, seeing the fire get close to the web.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Leo shot back, working quickly. He got the princess freed at the last second, pulling her away in time to avoid her getting hurt from the burning spider web. Before he even knew it, Leo took the candelabra and impaled it right in the spider's head, killing it instantly.

Sakura was trembling from the near-death situation she was in, but was grateful for Leo to get her out of that. "Leo...y-you saved me…" She smiled out of gratitude.

"Your siblings would've had my head if I didn't," Leo responded, then smiled. "But...you're welcome." He was taken by surprise when Sakura hugged him tightly, which he awkwardly returned the favor.

The Possessor who was in the spider's body, upon seeing the damage done by Leo, quickly scurried away, afraid of what other kinds of things the younger Nohrian prince would do to it.

* * *

Elsewhere with Ryoma and Elise, the two were also looking for a way up to the second floor. Their search would take them out to the side yard, where they would see Subaki and Keaton with a familiar face.

"Marisa?" Ryoma wondered. "What in the world is she doing here?" Last he saw Marisa, she was fighting him, Takumi, and Hinoka back in Airship Central.

"I have no idea...she doesn't seem angry," Elise noted when the two approached. Marisa instantly recognized Ryoma.

"You!" Marisa exclaimed.

"I don't have any ill will towards you, young lady," Ryoma calmly spoke. "What's more important to me now is this - what are you doing here?"

"Well, after I got beat by you and fell from the sky, I landed here without any idea where I was. That Toad who lives in the house here found me and let me stay here till I got my strength back," Marisa explained. "Uh...sorry for that…"

"You don't need to apologize," Elise added. "As long as you're okay, it's all good!"

"Oh yeah, we could use a favor," Keaton said. "See that balcony up there? We need a way up to the tower, but Subaki and I couldn't find any stairs leading to the top of the mansion."

"And what's in it for me?" Marisa asked.

"Uh, well…" Keaton trailed off.

"There's bound to be treasure in this mansion somewhere. Help us take care of King Boo, and you are entitled to any and all treasure you find here," Subaki quickly picked up the slack for Keaton.

"Yeah, that's what's in it for you," Keaton nodded.

"Deal!" Marisa grinned. She pointed to Elise, readying her broom. "You're first."

"Okay!" Elise chirped in agreement. And so Marisa started to ferry them up to the second floor one at a time.

* * *

Meanwhile with the other two pairs, they met up at the right side of the house, seeing the aftermath of Flash's Possessor fight.

"Woah…" Takumi breathed. "What the heck happened here?"

"There you guys are!" Flash exclaimed. "Have you guys seen these ghosts that were taking control of things? Yeah, they're Possessors, and I had to fight one."

"We encountered one in the kitchen," Camilla informed.

"A-And...one of them took control of a spider...and t-tied me up…" Sakura added.

"Which I took care of," Leo quickly added, seeing an angry look on his sister's face.

"So...what do we do now?" Takumi wondered. "We need a way up to the top of this place."

"Hmm…" Camilla put a finger to her chin. It was worth noting that she was holding a hand behind her back. "Flash, darling. Remember that form you used to fly back in Airship Central? Could you be a dear and help ferry us up?"

"Well...I'm the host. I can't interfere with the challenges unless it's a life threatening situation," Flash responded.

"Aww, that's a shame…" Camilla then revealed a bottle of root beer that immediately caught Flash's attention. "I didn't want this drink to go to waste."

"GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME!" Flash exclaimed, reaching for the bottle. Camilla put a hand on his chest, keeping him back while having his arms flailing in a futile attempt to get the bottle of soda.

"Ah ah ah, you'll only get this if you help us," Camilla responded, extending her arm out as far as possible to keep the savory beverage away from Flash.

"How did you…?" Leo trailed off.

"Before we left the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle just in case," Camilla explained. "It pays to be prepared."

"Alright, I'll help," Flash agreed. "Just gimme the bottle!" Camilla removed her hand from Flash's chest, which resulted in him falling over to where his face met her rack.

"Of course, darling," Camilla chuckled, taking a moment to smother their host before releasing him and handing him the root beer bottle. He had a visible blush on his face as he adjusted his glasses.

" _Professional as he may try to be, Flash is still just a child at heart. All he really wants to do is have fun and enjoy his life, and I don't see any problem with it. If it makes him happy, I'll support it." -Camilla_

"Just lemme enjoy this real quick." Flash opened the bottle and started chugging the beverage down in one go, and once finished, threw the bottle on the ground and let out a loud belch. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

Elsewhere in the mansion, a Boo was sitting at a gaming PC setup, on the screen was the game Plague Inc. Next to the Boo, was an open bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos and a half empty bottle of Mountain Dew.

"Alright, let's try this again," The Boo said, starting up a new game. "Now, what to call my disease…"

He looked around his dimly lit room, the PC screen offering the only artificial light in the room. Then, he noticed one of the posters in the room that featured the one and only Jotaro Kujo, then got an idea. Quickly typing, the Boo put down 'Jojokes' as the disease name, classifying it as a virus.

"Perfect." The Boo chuckled.

* * *

Back with the group with Marisa, they had all successfully gotten up to the second floor of the mansion.

"Alright, we cut through this floor, we'll be able to get to the top without any problems," Ryoma stated.

So the group moved forward, Marisa motioning for them to stop when she heard two Boos ahead. They all peeked out from behind a wall, watching the conversation.

"Turns out the Possessors are not as good as we thought. Four of them have already been beaten by these guys!" The first Boo said.

"What!? B-But how?" The second Boo exclaimed. "The Possessors are our elite members of the army!"

"Oh, I don't have time for this," Marisa grumbled, walking out of their hiding spot.

"What're you doing?" Keaton asked her.

"Just watch." She pointed her broom at the two Boos, her other hand on her cap. "Omae wa mou shinderu."

"Nani!?" The Boos responded in alarm upon seeing Marisa. The witch produced a spell card hidden within her hat, casting it immediately.

"Love Storm Starlight Typhoon!" By the time the spell card was done, alongside a bit of destruction, the Boos had been routed.

"That...that was totally wicked!" Elise exclaimed with glee.

"Let's move," Marisa ordered, the group following after her.

" _I think we wound up fighting Marisa because of what Peri did back in Airship Central. We can't really figure out what a person is like from when we first meet with them, but instead when we interact with them for long enough for a bond to form." -Ryoma_

* * *

With the other group with Flash, he was in the Angel Soul appearance as he was ferrying the other four up to the top of the mansion, Sunnyside riding on his head. As he was carrying Takumi up - the last one who needed ferrying up - he noticed the tower with a strange entrance to it.

"Hey, let's go see what's in here!" Flash suddenly said. As Takumi and Sunnyside were nervous for what awaited them inside, Flash didn't have a care for what was in there. What was in there was a standard long hallway, but there was something out of the ordinary waiting for them inside.

Namely, demons from Hell. This caused the three to do a double take. A Boo with a torturer's cowl laughed at their entrance.

"Wee hee hee...now I can put this portal to good use!" The Boo said.

"Toge-pi!" Sunnyside exclaimed.

"Yes Sunnyside, I know it's a trap," Flash responded. "You don't need to state the obvious."

"You can understand him?" Takumi blinked. He spotted a simple bow with a quiver of arrows by the entrance. "Actually...never mind."

"Give it up, you louts!" The Boo taunted. "You're trapped!"

"Oh no, we're not the ones trapped in here with these monsters," Takumi responded, grabbing the bow and arrow quiver. " _You're_ the ones trapped in here with _us!"_

Flash quickly checked his phone. "Oh sweet, I still get reception in here," He hummed. "Now we need fitting music…" He turned up his phone's volume to max, with Avenged Sevenfold's song 'Critical Acclaim' playing. "Good enough for me!"

And with that, the fighting began. Flash was slashing away at skeletons while merrily humming along, and Takumi was providing support from behind with a volley of arrows turning one Imp into a demonic pincushion.

At one point during the fight, one of the skeletons got close to Sunnyside, who backed away and was soon up against a wall. Quickly, he used Metronome, with the move being something that turned up the heat by quite a lot. That move? Sacred Fire.

Flash took note and laughed. "That's two for two on legendary attacks!...I think."

"Just focus!" Takumi complained.

"Sorry, sorry." Flash got back to fighting.

The trio were able to push the initial tide back, now gaining ground on the Boo and the demons. What caught the Boo by surprise was the fact that both guys and their Pokemon companion looked...happy. This drove the Boo to tears.

"I don't get it! The last guy was driven mad in a few minutes!" It cried.

"Destroy the portal and we can finish off the rest!" Flash pointed to a portal that was bringing the demons into the hall. Takumi drew an arrow and aimed it at a crystal that appeared to be powering the portal. With a single arrow, and no hesitation, the crystal shattered and the portal was cut off.

"Alright, you two go the entrance. I'll finish this!" Flash ordered. The two did as they were told, Flash quickly finishing off the rest of the demons. "Phew. This is the kind of Doom I prefer. Not the...other kind."

"I don't want to know." Takumi noticed the quiver was devoid of arrows now, so he tossed it and the bow aside. "Let's just get back to the others."

* * *

Up on the mansion's roof, Marisa had finished ferrying everyone from her group up as Flash, Takumi, and Sunnyside rejoined the rest.

"Where were you three?" Leo asked. "We thought the Boos got you."

"Oh, just fighting some demons from Hell. No biggie," Flash responded with a grin. Everyone, save for Takumi, gave him funny looks. "What?"

"Remember me?" Marisa then asked.

"...You're not mad at me for what happened back then, right?" Flash asked out of concern.

"I'm over it. There's no real point in holding a grudge. Of course...when it concerns that jerk Kamek, that's a different story…" Marisa clenched her fist.

"Isn't that a bit hypocritical?" Subaki wondered. Before Marisa could respond, they would hear a rumbling coming from a plant pot. Ryoma and Elise went forward to go see what it was.

The plant suddenly started violently shaking, somehow turning into a venus fly trap that lashed out at the two. Elise jumped back, looking for something that would help them. Ryoma on the other hand, kept the fly trap's mouth open with his own two hands, somewhat straining to keep it from clamping down on him.

Eventually, Elise found a garden trowel and rushed over to help Ryoma. It took her a few whacks, but she cut the stem of the fly trap, killing the rabid plant. A Possessor popped out, immediately fleeing.

A sudden and familiar shriek was then heard.

"Welp, I'm off to go get my payment. See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!" With that, Marisa flew off as King Boo made himself known.

"So! You finally showed up…" King Boo cackled. "I have to say, I am both impressed...and infuriated at how you were able to defeat the Possessors without any glorified vacuum cleaners on your backs."

"We're more resourceful than you look, King Boo," Leo responded with a glare. "Now, if you think we're going to leave here with you still alive as a ghost, think again."

King Boo paused, then started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Keaton scratched the back of his head.

"You? Defeat me? Oh, that's the best thing I've heard all week! Well, I think the reason that my dear friend Boolossus is gone is because we were fighting without a home field advantage…" King Boo monologues.

"What do you mean by 'home field advantage'?" Takumi then asked.

"The only way I'll let you fight me...is in my world!" King Boo then attacked the group with a burst of magic power, knocking them down and opening up a portal. "Come, to your dooms!"

The eight all scrambled to get into the portal, with four getting in before closing. Those four being Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, and Elise.

"Gods...I hope they'll be okay…" Ryoma grimaced.

" _Even if she betrayed me...I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to Elise in there. Yes, we're on opposite sides of the numbers, but Elise is still family to me. Camilla as well. All I can do is pray the Devil's own luck is on their sides…" -Leo_

* * *

Once inside, the four who followed King Boo in looked around to see...darkness. Nothing but an all consuming wave of darkness causing Sakura to start whimpering.

"H-Hey, keep it together," Elise urged. Then there was a laugh to have all of them freeze in their spots, trying to figure out where the laughing was coming from. Curtains then started opening up, showing windows that had purple light pouring in to the area.

King Boo's shadow was then see, encircling the players as the younger princesses huddled close to the older pair, trying to assure them everything was going to be alright. The curtains then closed, returning them to darkness.

"E-Enough of this charade!" Subaki stammered. "Show yourself now, King Boo!"

As if on cue, King Boo then appeared in front of the four, this time looking a bit different. There was a gem on his head with a ghastly purple hue, a full set of teeth for Boos, and his eyes had the same color as his gem.

"Mwahahahahaha! Now what do we have here? Why, if it isn't a pair of little girls, a perfectionist, and a harlot! Or are you a princess? I could never tell!" King Boo taunted.

"Why you…" Camilla glared.

"Hey, did I ever tell you the time I was trapped in a painting for all eternity? Good times," King Boo continued. "But guess what? Thanks to that moronic kid, I GOT OUT! And now, for Boolossus, I'm painting the town red!"

"We're not gonna let you!" Elise shot back.

"Oh, very scary. The little girl thinks she can talk tough," King Boo cackled again. "And now that you're all here...I'll make an example out of you four, trapping you in paintings so all you can do is watch as everything you've ever known and loved is destroyed, and I take my rightful place as the supreme ruler of your world!"

"...You know, you think you're scary and everything…" Camilla began. "But in all honesty? I'm about as mad as I've ever been in my entire life. Not only have you threatened my homeland, bt you've also threatened my darling girls, my brothers, _and_ my precious Corrin." She had a smile, but under that was built up frustration. "Once I'm through with you, you'll get to see Boolossus again in the afterlife for ghosts."

"Y-Yeah! We won't let you take...take over Hoshido!" Sakura chimed in, despite being terrified.

"Any threats against my liege are not taken lightly," Subaki added. "It's time we settle this now!"

"That's right! As long as I've got my sis with me, I'm not scared of anyone!" Elise puffed out her chest. "Bring it on, scumbag!"

"Pah! Your friendships mean nothing!" King Boo snapped. "I'm going to show you the true meaning of fear!"

* * *

 **BOSS BATTLE**

Sakura vs Subaki vs Camilla vs Elise vs King Boo

King Boo's Midnight Madness

Players: Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Elise

Description: Beat King Boo in his own dimension! Ground pound on tiles to create triangles of light to damage the Boo's king.

Hint: When he goes into his second phase, the battlefield with shrink as the fight rages on. Keep on your toes to not fall off!

* * *

The battlefield around them was now visible, being a ten by ten grid with King Boo seen at the northernmost end. He cackled again, ready to destroy the four.

 **START!**

The players didn't really know how to harm King Boo right off the bat, but Subaki was able to figure something out with a ground pound on one of the tiles, for it began glowing red. This led to the players experimenting on what they needed to do, all the while avoiding King Boo dropping spike balls down.

Eventually, Elise cracked the code by creating a triangle that shot out a tri-beam attack at King Boo, striking his jeweled crown and harming him.

"Guys, we gotta make triangles!" Elise shouted.

"Triangles? H-How specific…" Sakura stammered, making one herself and hitting King Boo. The Boo's king started rolling around on the stage to try and ram one of them off, and calling down lightning strikes to temporarily leave a few squares sandy, looking to slow them down.

Despite this non-stop offensive from King Boo, the players powered through and kept up their own assault on King Boo.

Eventually King Boo got enraged, his eyes now turning red with anger.

 **Score**

Sakura: 4

Subaki: 6

Camilla: 5

Elise: 5

King Boo slammed down on the battlefield, one row and column of squares falling off, turning the battlefield into a nine by nine square. He also left some squares off limits by the sand, limiting the players in their lanes of attack. If that wasn't bad enough, he summoned Greenies to disrupt them as well. He wanted this to be hard for them.

While Camilla was busy distracting Greenies for her sister, Sakura and Elise stepped up the offensive, coordinating their attacks to make the most of their current situation. Subaki was also assisting Camilla in keeping the Greenies at bay.

Another slam from King Boo happened, now reducing the battlefield to an eight by eight. Camilla rejoined the offensive as Subaki was left on Greenie fighting duty. King Boo vanished temporarily, reappearing at the farest right two rows, letting out a screech that pushed the others to the left. Picking themselves up, they were all scrambling to get more attacks in, not because they wanted an immunity win, but because they wanted to put a stop to King Boo.

Eventually, one of them was able to land the final strike to end this knock down drag out.

"Don't...don't move!" Sakura exclaimed, landing the final attack to finish off King Boo.

His jeweled crown suddenly shattered as the Boo's king faded away in sparkles of light.

 **Final Scores**

Sakura: 10 (Plus 3 Final Strike)

Subaki: 9

Camilla: 12

Elise: 11

* * *

Back at the top of the mansion, the four who went to fight King Boo were ejected from the portal, returning exhausted but relieved.

"Did...did you beat him?" Takumi asked.

"The deed is done," Subaki reported, helping Sakura up. "King Boo won't be threatening Hoshido or Nohr any longer."

Leo immediately ran over to Elise and surprised her with a massive hug.

"Oh Dusk Dragon, Elise...I was so worried about you," Leo exclaimed. "You and Camilla both."

"Relax Leo," Camilla reassured, patting his head. "We're right as rain."

"So...who won immunity?" Takumi asked.

"Well, judging from what I'm rewatching…" Flash quickly watched a recap of the boss battle. "...I think we have our winner!" He was gesturing to Sakura as he said this.

"I-I did? I did!?" Sakura squealed with both shock and joy. She then hugged Subaki, happy to have won.

" _I...I did it...I won immunity, for the first time...of course I-I'm probably gonna...need a change of undies after that...King Boo was really scary...but...I'm still in the game with Subaki...thankfully…" -Sakura_

"Alright, as for the rest of you? After 13 hard days of partying, someone is getting voted out. You've got till sundown to figure it out." With that, Flash led them back to the fort.

* * *

A potentially tough vote awaited the final eight, and everyone was looking to get their ducks in a row.

Camilla met with Leo in his room.

"Alright, you know exactly who I want out," Leo said.

"Right. Takumi is going to be voted out," Camilla agreed. "While I will admit, sending him back with Peri is a worrying thought...but she has Xander with her. I doubt he would attack her again."

"Exactly. Who do you think we can pull in to help, though?" Leo wondered.

"Even though Elise went back on you in voting out Xander, I can assure you that she voted for Takumi last time. I'm positive she'll do it again," Camilla answered.

"You better keep her on a short leash for this," Leo requested.

"Cross my heart, baby brother," Camilla promised, going to leave.

" _It's true, Takumi has been targeting us since the merge began. I gave him mercy last time, but now I have to vote him out...hmph, this is going to be tough. Who am I going to convince to help me?" -Camilla_

It was at this time Keaton approached Camilla. "Hey...you got a minute?" He asked.

"Of course I do," Camilla responded. "What's on your mind?"

" _If I've got a chance of making it any farther, I have to work with Camilla in order to avoid being pegged as the easy vote tonight. If I'm right, the Nohrians would vote Takumi, and the Hoshidans might wind up targeting Leo. I don't know, but I'm kinda nervous." -Keaton_

"Alright, so...about the whole Takumi situation. I let him do his thing to shield myself from any heat directed at us, and now that Peri's gone, I guess I can be open about him coming to me about that plan." Keaton explained.

"I see...so you're fine with voting Takumi tonight?" Camilla asked.

"Of course," Keaton answered. "What I want to know is...do we have the numbers?"

"I know we have Leo who wants Takumi gone, and I'm positive I can pull Elise…" Camilla trailed off. "But even then, I don't think Sakura or Subaki would be willing to vote for him."

"So we'd have a tie...okay then…" Keaton scratched the back of his head, thinking about what to do.

" _In I may be blunt, Keaton would be an easy vote. He's not attached to anyone, and if anything it would be easy for Sakura and Subaki to get on my side to vote him out. But since the plan is Takumi tonight, I need him for this, and possibly other votes later on." -Camilla_

"How about we have Sakura cast a throwaway vote your way?" Camilla thought. "I'm pretty sure Takumi is going to want to vote out Leo, but if we can get either Sakura or Subaki to cast a throwaway vote in someone's direction…"

"Then Takumi would be voted out since it wouldn't be a tie," Keaton finished. "That's great and all...but which one are we going to have do that?"

"I think Sakura would be more willing," Camilla wagered. "After all, I doubt she would want to vote out her own brother."

"Well, if it means staying in the game, I'll do it," Keaton agreed.

" _No matter what it takes, I want to make it to the end. I'm going to keep looking for those cracks and claw my way to finale night. Yeah, I'm eccentric, and I may not be the smartest guy here. But I'm not stupid either. All I gotta do is survive a couple more votes and the treasure will be mine." -Keaton_

Meanwhile, with Takumi and Ryoma, the two guys were discussing what they would be doing at the vote tonight.

"Clear cut, Leo's gotta go, right?" Takumi began.

"I would suggest Elise as an alternative, given her rocky relationship with Leo," Ryoma responded. "However...Leo might be the better choice."

"Yeah, there's that too…" Takumi agreed.

" _Leo, or Elise. Those are our two choices tonight. Leo because that schemer has been staying around for far too long, or Elise, who has proven to be a very dangerous player in this game. Both have legitimate reasons for getting voted out, but the question is - who's the bigger threat?" -Takumi_

It was at this time Camilla had met with Sakura and Subaki.

"So what're we doing tonight?" Subaki asked.

"Well, I think it's no secret that Leo wants to target Takumi…" Camilla grimly informed. "So I was going to ask if either of you wanted to put a throwaway vote in Keaton's direction to avoid a tie."

"B-But...wouldn't that mean...my brother is getting voted out?" Sakura asked meekly.

"Wasn't he being mean to you before?" Subaki then brought up. "It's just like the case with Hinoka…"

"That...that was different…" Sakura looked down.

"Yes, Hinoka was telling you what to do," Camilla brought up. "Takumi on the other hand got angry with you and blew a gasket after Hinoka was voted out."

"I...I swear…" Sakura sighed. "He might be mean at times, but...but I know h-he means well…"

"My offer remains on the table for you. I won't force you to play the game how I want you to," Camilla reassured. With that, she took her leave to go speak with Elise. Sakura laid down on her bed.

"Subaki...I...I don't know what to do…" The younger Hoshidan princess sighed.

"Even if we were to vote for Lord Leo, it would be a tie if I were to guess from numbers alone," Subaki wagered. "If you were to vote for Keaton...maybe...what if Lady Elise were to vote against her brother?"

"How?" Sakura wondered.

"Well, if memory serves us right, Lady Elise was the vote that sent Lord Xander out of the game. Her brother and Peri outed her as the traitor, so it's entirely possible that Elise might be threatened by him." Subaki explained.

" _All I want to do is keep Lady Sakura happy, and I know how reluctant she is to vote out her brother. If we're to stay true to this alliance, we'll have to vote them out eventually. But Lady Sakura, from what I know of her, seems incapable of such cutthroat behavior." -Subaki_

"T-Then...it would make sense to go after Leo, right?" Sakura wondered.

"Of course, but I don't believe we could be able to sway the other two," Subaki agreed. "It's possible that later in the game we can vote him out. For now, we should wait for the right moment to do so." The two spoke for a little longer, and then agreed on a plan of action.

Just before the vote, Camilla met with Elise, who was letting Sunnyside sleep on her bed. The Togepi was exhausted from their adventure today.

"Sunnyside is taking a nap," Elise whispered. "What do you need?"

"Elise dear, I'm afraid Sakura isn't going to budge on voting for Takumi," Camilla responded. She told Elise the plan she came up with thanks to Keaton.

"I mean...if Leo's so threatened by me, who's to say he won't take this chance to get rid of me?" Elise wondered. "We could always switch our votes over to get rid of him."

"We've already burned Leo once, dear. He's expecting me to keep you on a tight leash," Camilla stated. "So...it seems we're at a crossroads."

"What do you want to do, sis?" Elise inquired. The two briefly weighed their options before coming up with their own plan of action.

" _The vote tonight is kinda scary, since Leo might be gunning for me. Fortunately, I still have the idol, so if that happens I'll be able to stay in regardless of if he targets me or not. Never know when this'll come in handy!" -Elise_

* * *

Once the sun set, the eight remaining players went down to the basement for the Elimination Ceremony that night, Flash reappearing on the monitor.

"Welcome back to another Elimination Ceremony. Subaki, even though King Boo has been defeated and both kingdoms are safe, someone still has to get voted out. Do today's events make things harder for you?" Flash began.

"It certainly would," Subaki answered. "Frankly, voting the others out have been difficult since the beginning."

"Takumi, at the last Elimination Ceremony, you said you were on your last legs. Is that still true for tonight?" Flash wondered.

"Possibly, but tonight I'm mainly confident that I'm still going to be here after tonight," Takumi answered.

"Sakura, with everyone being so close, how is it possible to vote out family and friends?" Flash inquired.

"W-Well...I think that it's all about m-making sacrifies. Um...we all know that this is o-only a game...but for me, it's been...tough…" Sakura meekly answered. "That said, I, um...I'm going to keep fighting. Because…I really do want to win."

"So Camilla, it's easy to say 'I'll make the sacrifice to win', but is it as simple as saying something to do that?" Flash pressed.

"I will say, it would be difficult to vote out my own siblings, but since I do want to win, I'll do that if I have to," Camilla responded. "It's only a part of the game we all agreed to participate in."

"Leo, what about you?" Flash asked.

"Since Elise was so willing to do that, I wouldn't hesitate to return the favor," Leo responded.

"Ryoma, do you think you might be a target?" Flash wondered.

"It's highly likely, given my strong performance when we were still teams," Ryoma explained. "While the possibility exists, I'm not going to go quietly."

"Well, whether or not people make sacrifices, there's only one place that matters. It is, time to vote. Sakura, you're up."

Outside, the audience was murmuring with excitement as Azura watched on from the monitor.

"The game grows tougher for our remaining players as we near finale night," She said. "Hello everyone, and welcome back for another Elimination Ceremony." The monitor showed Sakura in the voting booth. "Sakura was given the plan to have a throwaway vote cast for Keaton. Will she go through with the plan?"

"Hello Sakura! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"Um...this is just for the plan...but, I vote to eliminate Keaton. Sorry…" Sakura voted.

"Thanks, you can head on back now." Sakura left the booth, passing Subaki in the hall.

"It is unknown what Sakura and Subaki are planning. How will her retainer vote?" Azura hummed.

"Hello Subaki! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Leo." Subaki voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now." Subaki left the booth, passing Camilla in the hall.

"Camilla is caught in between voting for either Leo or Takumi. Her vote should be interesting." Azura mused.

"Hello Camilla! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate Takumi," Camilla voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now." Camilla left the booth, passing Leo in the hall.

"Leo has left us with no doubt he wants Takumi gone. His vote should be obvious," Azura said.

"Hello Leo! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"Isn't it obvious? I vote to eliminate Takumi." Leo voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now." Leo left the booth, passing Takumi in the hall. Both exchanged an intense glance with one another.

"Takumi has considered Elise as an option, but Leo is his prime target. Will he change his mind?" Azura thought aloud.

"Hello Takumi! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I gladly vote to eliminate Leo." Takumi voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now." Takumi left the booth, passing Keaton in the hall.

"Keaton has resolved to do whatever it takes to win for the treasure. How will he vote tonight?" Azura wondered.

"Hello Keaton! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"I'm voting to eliminate Takumi." Keaton voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now." Keaton left the booth, passing Elise in the hall.

"Elise has an interesting choice ahead of her with her brother. Will she change her mind, or stick to her guns?" Azura spoke.

"Hello Elise! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash requested.

"I vote to eliminate Takumi." Elise voted. "I'm not worried about Leo."

"Thanks, you can head back now." Elise left the booth, passing Ryoma in the hall.

"With Elise's vote, Takumi's fate has been sealed." Azura said. "Let's see how Ryoma votes."

"Hello Ryoma! Please cast your vote to eliminate." Flash instructed.

"I vote to eliminate Leo." Ryoma voted.

"Thanks, you can head back now." Ryoma left the booth to join the others.

"Alright everyone! The votes are in." Flash began. "Whoever is eliminated only has a few moments to gather their things and say their goodbyes, then they must proceed out the staircase to your left. I'll start by revealing those who are safe. Those people are...Sakura, Subaki, Camilla, Elise, and Ryoma."

Keaton knew he wasn't in danger, Leo turned to Camilla and Takumi closed his eyes.

"Keaton, Takumi, Leo? By a vote...of four to three to one...Takumi, you are eliminated from Fates Party."

"Agh…" Takumi hung his head, gathering his things. As he left, Leo had a parting comment.

"Least you made the merge!" He called. Takumi responded by flipping him off, going out on stage to applause and sat down across from Azura.

"It's good to see you again, Takumi," Azura opened the conversation. "So, are you upset at how you placed or not?"

"A bit of both actually. Everything was going well, and then the merge occured where everything went downhill," Takumi answered.

"Do you believe that Leo was as dangerous as he made himself out to be?" Azura asked.

"Well, yeah! Of course he's dangerous! Being the brains of Nohr, he's got probably the best chance of winning this game!" Takumi passionately answered.

"What if I were to tell you that you nd Leo aren't so different?" Azura then asked.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Takumi asked.

"Allow me to show you something." On a separate monitor, Azura showed Takumi the conversation Leo and Camilla had last night concerning his feelings.

"I...I had no idea…" Takumi breathed.

"You aren't too different from Leo," Azura added. "Both of you have great amounts of talent, but you're both held back by your own insecurities. Does this change your opinion about Leo at all?"

"Only a little," Takumi confided. "The thing is, my competition was basically Ryoma, who is like this amazingly strong and charismatic guy, and when you look at me, I'm nothing like him. How could I possibly be able to be a prince like he was? And then there was Leo, who I know for a fact is a force to be reckoned with, a really gifted guy. Never did I think we would ever have something in common…"

"Now that you know this, what do you think your performance says about you?" Azura asked.

"Clearly, I played the best that I could, and I will admit there were times that I wasn't the best behaved. But, now that I'm finally out, I can get back to the others and let them know that...I'm really sorry for any sort of grief I caused them." Takumi wiped his eyes, feeling a tear or two coming on. "I'm gonna try to be a better man, Azura. From this night forward, I'll do everything in my power to be a prince befitting of Hoshido."

"Good to hear. Thank you for playing, Takumi," Azura responded with a smile.

"Glad to have been part of this." Takui waved to the crowd, who applauded again with someone shouting 'We love you!' as he went down the torchlit path.

When he arrived at the house for the eliminated players, Azama was quick to greet him.

"Ah, Prince Takumi. Your tailwind petered out, didn't it?" Azama asked.

"It did." Takumi sighed, going to see if any other rooms weren't unoccupied. He would soon come across Oboro, who was happy to see him.

"Lord Takumi!" Oboro ran to hugh him. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

"Same here," Takumi responded. "Peri...she told me about what you wanted me to know."

"Then...then you know that…" Oboro went quiet suddenly.

"Know what?" Takumi blinked.

"I...I love you, Lord Takumi. I've loved you for a long time…" Oboro confessed. "I know that it's unacceptable for a retainer to feel this way about her master. Especially for the retainer to a prince. I'm way below your station. And since I'm no good to you anymore, I'm going to bow out quietly."

"So you're stepping down as my retainer?" Takumi folded his arms with a sigh. "That's disappointing to hear."

"I know. And I'm very sorry." Oboro looked down.

"Not about you leaving. But you seriously thought I didn't know how you felt about me?" Takumi then asked, catching Oboro by surprise.

"...What?" She asked, bewildered.

"I knew almost since you started that you were interested in me. And it's a good thing you are, because I love you too. I had hoped you'd be my bride someday. So don't worry about it, Oboro. Our relationship isn't in jeopardy. It's OK for you to think of me as the only one for you—that's how I think of you too." Takumi responded with a smile.

"I just...I never thought you'd…" Oboro stammered.

"It's all right. Dry those eyes. I wanted you to be your own woman even after we got married. That's why I was helping to get your fashion business off the ground. So please reconsider. Stay with me, and help all your new clients dress their best." Takumi continued. Oboro responded by grabbing Takumi all of the sudden.

"Just kiss me you fool," She requested. The two kissed, then stepped inside the room Oboro was staying in, closing the door behind them. Niles walked by, hearing the door lock.

"Ah...young love…" He chuckled, proud for them.

(Alright. You all knew this was coming, so let's get this out of the way.

Takumi was the reason I sided with Nohr. His attitude was a massive turnoff for me when it came to joining Hoshido, and even then I started with Revelations because I couldn't bring myself to harm Sakura. My first impressions of him being a complete jackwagon faded a little bit after seeing this guy's other side, but I didn't think it was enough to fully redeem him, so that's why he suffered the way he did. That being said, however, I wanted him to have a happy ending at the very least. Plus I ship Takumi and Oboro. I don't care if Kagero makes Kiragi a monster, I didn't know that Kiragi and by extension the other kid units existed when I first played Fates so sue me.

Next time, **get out your hard hats and get ready to sweat!** The finale is creeping up on us as there was now seven! See ya then!)


	14. Where I Stand

So this story's been laying dormant for like...a little over a year. This 'chapter' is to let you know where I stand on things.

I'd like to start this off with the announcement that I'm going to get this story finished. At the end of this, I will show you all the roadmap I have planned out for the remainder of the season.

I was trying to get Episode 13 written, but I ran into a couple problems. The first was the boss battle. I was trying to figure out how to write it, but I ran into a major writer's block on how to do it. To fix this, I'll be modifying the boss battle just a bit to make it easier to write.

The second problem was finding the time to fully devote to writing. A lot of things sidetracked me along the way. College, personal issues, family business, travel, and general laziness. I'm really sorry for letting my schedule slip for this long, and I'll aim to get this story done before the summer's out.

The third problem was...well, I'll be the first to admit, I was becoming self-conscious about my writing. The more I wrote, I kept doubting myself thinking 'No, this is stupid, this won't work', so on and so forth. I am my own worst critic in this regard. I was afraid that I'd get raked over the coals for writing something stupid the farther along I got in my project. This has also been the case for pretty much my writing in general.

But here I am, back from a family trip down to Florida - one of my sisters got married - and I've got my drive to write back. I don't know when I'll have this new episode put out, but for all of you who have been patient, I want to give a big thanks for holding out for me. As a way to make up for the long gap between Episodes 12 and 13, I'll be making a bonus episode after the Final 7. I hope you'll all love it!

In fact, I've got my Superstar already figured out and set in stone! But I won't tell you here. You'll have to keep reading to find out.

Anyway! Here's how the rest of this story is going to play out, from here to the final chapter!

Episode 13 - Shepherds of Fire (Final 7)

Episode 14 - Tower Heist (Bonus Episode)

Episode 15 - Sea of Moving Emotion (Final 6, Loved Ones Visit)

Episode 16 - Wanted Dead of Alive (Final 5)

Episode 17 - The Final Countdown (Finale Night)

Again, not sure when I'll get this new episode out. Today or tomorrow at the earliest, probably. But I do want to get this story finished so I can get to the next season of the Party Series. I've got big plans for this series, and big plans I want to put on docs.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk, everyone. See you soon!


End file.
